Knowledge and therapeutic approach of Iranian dentists toward COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Dental services are a hotspot for viral transmission. Dentists must have complete knowledge about the disease and quick access to information to combat this transmission. To prevent COVID-19 viral spreading through dental practices, dentists must be well-versed in disease and infection control measures. As a result, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of Iranian dentists on the Covid 19 pandemic. Materials Methods: The present study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. A modified questionnaire of a perused one was prepared, the validity of which was confirmed, and the reliability was accepted by Cronbach’s alpha test (0.86). This questionnaire was completed by 133 Iranian dentists and included six components: consent to participate in research, demographic information, knowledge, infection control, vaccination, and therapeutic approach. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman rank correlation coefficients, and P 0.05 was considered the level of significance. Results: Iranian dentists are shown to have proper knowledge, but only 21.7% of participants received infection control courses; moreover, only 47% of them knew the accurate incubation period of the Virus. Dentists working in Academic clinics took more preventive measures than those working in private clinics (P=0.023). Conclusion: It is recommended that health care authorities ensure that dentists receive organized information and guidelines.