DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs2115123318 ORIGINAL ARTICLE 3318 P J M H S Vol. 15, No.12, DEC 2021 Awareness and Readiness of Dentists to Practice amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pakistan EHSAN UL HAQ 1 , AHMAD LIAQAT 2 , MUJTABA NADEEM 3 , SHAHEEN AHMAD 4 , SABA HANIF 5 , WAHHAB AHMED 6 1 Assistant Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, KEMU/Mayo Hospital 2 Assistant Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UOL, Lahore 3,6 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Mayo Hospital, Lahore 4 Associate Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, Dow International College, Karachi 5 Demonstrator. Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, KEMU, Mayo Hospital, Lahore Correspondence to Dr. Ehsan ul Haq, Email: drehsan80@gmail.com, Tel. 03214066911 ABSTRACT Background: Corona Virus spreads via droplets and air. Dentists are at high risk due to proximity to the oral cavity and the production of droplets during procedures. Aim: To assess awareness of COVID19 among dental professionals and check their knowledge about the COVID-19 disease, its route of spread, clinical symptoms, tests for diagnosis, prevention in dental practice for a safe return to the dental practice. Methods: Online questionnaires were shared with dentists all over the country using convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, aptitude and effect on dental practice. SPSS, v. 21.0 was used for analysis. Results: Total number of participants was (316) and were from all provinces of the country (Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, KPK, Gilgit Baltistan). Most of the entries were from Sindh province (58.1%). Most of the participants are qualified as BDS(69.4%), 11.7% are FCPS, 5.7% are BDS with additional certifications. Participation from the age group 20-30 years was 74% followed by 18% of the age group 30-40. Conclusions: Dentists of our country were well aware of this pandemic and are fully equipped to manage their practices while preventing cross-contamination. Keywords: dentists, COVID-19, pandemic, Personal protective equipment INTRODUCTION Coronavirus disease 2019 also known as COVID-19 is a viral disease that has affected almost every country of the world 1,2 . Due to the contagious nature of this virus, educational, industrial and healthcare facilities had to face a lot of downfall due to the lockdowns in many countries. Pakistan is also badly affected by this virus. Medical and dental schools were locked down many times and students had to shift to the online method of learning and teaching 3 . Causing organism is Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) 4 . On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization International Health Regulation emergency committee declared the disease a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It was declared a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020 5 . Human to human transmission of COVID-19 is believed to occur through respiratory fluids such as mucus. Coughing and sneezing, touching or shaking hands with an infected person, or making contact with a surface or object that has the virus and then touching the nose, eyes, or mouth can transmit this disease 6 . This lead to worldwide adaptation of social distancing, self-quarantine, imposing curfews, lockdowns, and restrictions on gatherings including, religious and social events and shut down of schools, colleges and universities for an undefined period as uncertainty prevail. Dental colleges have suspended all patient care by undergraduate students and academic teaching is being shifted to online platforms using social media, WhatsApp groups, virtual small group discussions, recorded lectures or online streams and use of websites for providing resource materials and conducting assessment 7 . The incubation period is almost 1 to 2 weeks with the median being 4 days to 7 days 8 . The presenting symptoms include fever, fatigue, dry cough, myalgias, dyspnea, and sometimes watery diarrhea 9 . Some cases present asymptomatically so those are difficult to pick clinically and remain the source for the spread of the Corona virus 10 . Dentists directly work in the mouth so they are at a higher risk to contract the infection. Good knowledge of its spread and its preventive measures are necessary to work in this pandemic. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Received on 22-06-2021 Accepted on 21-11-2021 MATERIAL AND METHODS Approval was taken from the Institutional Ethics Committee of University Dental college, the University of Lahore. The questionnaire link was shared with the dentists by using Google forms. On the start page, consent for participating in this study was taken. Those who gave their consent by pressing the “Next” button were forwarded to the page where personal information regarding qualification and experience was taken. Participants were assured of its confidentiality since only the author had access to the data. Participation in this study was ensured when the “Submit” button was pressed at the end while answering all questions. The study duration was from 12 th June to 22 nd June 2020. Convenience sampling (researchers directly contacted dentists via social media for participation in the study) and snowball sampling (participants were requested to spread the word among other dentists) were implied for maximal participation. Dentists were contacted through social media platforms to fill the online questionnaire. It had 4 parts containing 25 questions. The 1st part was for personal information (Province, highest qualification, current mode of practice and experience), while the other parts had questions relating to knowledge about COVID-19, attitudes and effect on dental practices during COVID-19. IBM SPSS for Windows, v. 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA) was used for analysis 13 . RESULTS Three hundred and sixteen dental practitioners participated. Analysis of the data was conducted on IBM SPSS for Windows, v. 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA). Most of the participants are younger i.e. 74% and have less clinical experience but the result shows that they are much aware of the current protocols of managing patients in a pandemic situation. Results also show the effects of the situation on the clinical practice of dentists around the globe because of this contagion. Results are analyzed according to demographics, experience and qualifications, perceptions towards COVID-19, and knowledge about recent protocols towards COVID-19.