Dental Faculty’s Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Covid 19 Disease in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Present study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitude of dental faculty at Qassim
University, regarding novel COVID 19 disease.
Method: The cross-sectional survey was conducted on the faculty at undergraduate dental school. The selfdesigned e-survey was administered to 78 faculty members to assess their knowledge and attitudes towards
the COVID-19 disease. Data analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics were
reported as frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was utilized to identify the correlation between the
independent and dependent variables. The inferential statistics (Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney U
test) were utilized for assessing the significance between study variables. The association between knowledge
and attitude was evaluated by using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.
Results: A total of 55 faculty members (70.5%) responded. Mean knowledge score was 10± 2.71. 37 (67.3%)
respondents showed positive attitude towards COVID-19 while 18(32.7%) displayed negative attitude. The
mean attitude score was 4.08±0.50. Significant difference was found in knowledge (p-value=0.04) and
attitude (p-value=0.015) of dental faculty based on designation.
Conclusions: Qassim University dentists were mindful of the COVID-19 symptoms, means of transmission,
Cross-infection control and operative protocols practiced within dental clinics. However, dentists exhibited
inadequate knowledge about the specific dental procedures that safeguard the dental staff and patients from
COVID-19 in context of current outbreak.