Brazilian dental students and COVID-19: A survey on knowledge and perceptions

Autor(es)

Brito Aragao, Maria Gerusa ; Fernandes Gomes, Francisco Isaac ; Maia Paixao-de-Melo, Leticia Pinho ; Milori Corona, Silmara Aparecida

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION; v. 26, n. 1, p. 13-pg., 2021-02-14.

Resumo

Objective This study evaluated the knowledge and perceptions of Brazilian dental students about COVID-19 and the undergraduate clinical practice during the COVID-19 outbreak by a self-administered Web-based questionnaire. Methods A social network campaign on Instagram was raised to approach the target population. The survey covered demographic and academic profile, general knowledge, preventive measures and perception about COVID-19. Descriptive statistics were used to identify frequencies and distributions of variables, which were compared by type of institution and current year of enrolment using the Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests (alpha = 0.05). Results A total of 833 valid responses were received over 10 days. Students were able to identify the incubation period, main symptoms and contagious routes of the disease but struggled in recognising the name of the virus responsible for the pandemic. Hand washing before and after a dental appointment with a patient (97.7%) followed by the use of barriers to protect mucosa (97.2%) were the more frequently recognised measures to prevent COVID-19 spread in the dental office. As for the perception of COVID-19, 73.2% of the dental students perceived the disease as severe, whilst only 11.1% of them thought that COVID-19 is severe only for people presenting risk factors. Dental student's knowledge and perception were associated with the type of institution and year of enrolment. Conclusion In summary, the dental students demonstrated an acceptable general knowledge about COVID-19, but dental schools will need to address gaps in knowledge, preventive measures, and perceptions to ensure a safer return to in person activities. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 20/02658-7 - Análise do efeito dose-resposta da epigalocatequina-3-galato (EGCG) na adesão bacteriana, no crescimento inicial de biofilme de Streptococcus mutans e na progressão da lesão cariosa induzida em esmalte bovino
• Beneficiário: Maria Gerusa Brito Aragão
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 19/14285-3 - Papel da via de sinalização succinato/SUCNR1 em neurônios sensoriais no desenvolvimento da dor neuropática
• Beneficiário: Francisco Isaac Fernandes Gomes
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado