Evaluation of the Knowledge and Attitudes of Dental Patients Towards COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

Türkiye Klinikleri Diş Hekimliği Bilimleri Dergisi, cilt.28, sa.3, ss.544-550, 2022 (TRDizin)

To assess the knowledge and attitudes of

Turkish dental patients about COVID-19 infection. Material and

Methods: Four hundred fifteen patients who received an oral and dental

health center were interviewed in this study. A questionnaire of 20

questions was applied to the patients to evaluate their knowledge and

attitude about COVID-19 and its relationship with dentistry. Results:

Two hundred-three women and two hundred-twelve men participated

in the study. Thirty three percent of the participants were between the

ages of 18-30, and 30.4% were between the ages of 31-40. Most of the

participants (87.72%) stated that they did not have COVID-19, while

26.9% were in contact with someone who had COVID-19. In the pandemic

process, most dental complaint reported by the participants was

gum diseases (55.2%). Loss of taste and smell, and weakness, and joint

pain were the most marked COVID-19 symptoms by participants

(52.5% and 47.7% respectively). Of the participants 44.6% reported the

dentistry devices do not carry the risk of COVID-19 infection transmission.

The three methods most frequently used by the participants to reduce

the risk of transmission are masks, attention to distance rules, and

hand washing. The majority of the participants (88.7%) stated that they

paid more attention to their oral and dental health during the restriction

period. Conclusion: Individual behaviors and knowledge are important

to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Though participants in this study's

general knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 are positive, their

knowledge about COVID-19 risks in dental treatment is inadequate.