Objectives: The aim of present study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of dental practitioners in Kolkata city, West Bengal, India regarding COVID-2019 pandemic.
Materials and method: Online questionnaire was distributed among dentists across West Bengal city, using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire had 17 questions: (1) Section A was 'General section' which comprised of socio-demographic and professional details of the subjects; and (2) Section B comprised of 14 questions depicting knowledge, awareness attitude and practice regarding COVID-19. The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis with level of significance at p=0.05. The descriptive statistical analysis was done to compute frequency and percentages. Intergroup comparison was determined by Chi-square statistical analysis to determine the level of significance for responses of each question.
Results: Around 70.4% undergraduates participated in the study. Only 4.3% showed accurate knowledge with respect to the incubation period of coronavirus. Coughing and sneezing was considered to be the most common mode of transmission. 98.9% of dentists considered fever to be the characteristic symptom of the disease. Hand washing and alcohol rubs was advocated by 99.5% of the dentist. Emergency procedures were considered necessary by 90.8% dentists. 75.1% of dentists agree that their practice has been affected by the pandemic.
Conclusion: A constant update regarding COVID-19 should be made available to dental health care professionals through webinars, seminars, discussions and articles. Dentists should keep themselves updated and help to fight against this pandemic.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in ten different dental hospitals of Pakistan. The one-way ANOVA test was used to analyze patient's demographic distribution with PSR-OHS and oral functions. The complex sample general linear model was used to determine association between clinical OH and PSR-OHS. Analyses of each age group were conducted separately.
RESULTS: A total of 1,804 outdoor patients participated in the study, out of which 660 were young adults, 685 adults and 459 were older adults. Overall self-perception of all age groups about their oral health was 'good' (mean = 3.71). Female gender and education status were a significant factor in young adults and adults. Family income affected PSR-OHS of only the adult age group. Frequent visit to dental clinic and preventive reason of dental attendance were associated with good PSR-OHS. DMFT score, prosthesis score and periodontal score also affected the PSR-OHS of individuals. Association between PSR-OHS and clinical examination was confirmed by complex general linear model.
CONCLUSION: There are differences in the perceived oral health status of young adults, adults and older adults. The variables, age, education, family income, DMFT score, prosthesis score and periodontal score directly influence the self-perception of individuals.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study was performed on subjects from multiple dental centres in Malaysia using a questionnaire covering sociodemographics, OHRQoL using the Malaysian Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire, OHIP-14(M) and self-reported symptoms. Participants with severe CP were age-and gender-matched with periodontally healthy/mild periodontitis (HMP) participants based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Full mouth periodontal examination was performed on participants. Outcome measures were OHIP-14(M) prevalence of impact and severity of impact scores.
RESULTS: One hundred and thirty (130) participants comprising 65 severe CP and 65 HMP participants were included in the study. Prevalence of impact on OHRQoL was significantly higher in the severe CP than HMP group, with an odds ratio of 3. Mean OHIP-14(M) score was significantly higher in the severe CP (18.26 ± 10.22) compared to HMP (11.28± 8.09) group. The dimensions of psychological discomfort and functional limitation, and factors such as 'discomfort due to food stuck' and 'felt shy' were impacted more in severe CP compared to HMP group (p < 0.05). When compared with the HMP group, generalised severe CP participants showed higher prevalence of impact on OHRQoL [OR=5] (p < 0.05) compared to localised severe CP [OR=2] (p = 0.05). Participants who had experienced self-reported symptoms had statistically significant impacts on OHRQoL.
CONCLUSIONS: Severe CP had a greater impact on OHRQoL compared to HMP. Impacts were mainly for functional limitation and psychological discomfort dimensions. When considering extent of disease, the impact on OHRQoL was mostly in generalised severe CP subgroup.