Original Article

Year : 2019 | Volume : 4 | Issue : 1 | Page : 1 - 5

Psychological Impact and Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Dental Interns and Postgraduates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Parvathy Premnath, S. Vishakha1, T. Yamuna1, M. Yogesh Kumar1, Zoha Abullah

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Asan Memorial Dental College, 1 CRRI, Asan Memorial Dental College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India

Address for correspondence:

Dr. Parvathy Premnath,

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Asan Memorial Dental College and Hospital, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.

E‐mail: dr.parvathypachat@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause a wide range of illness from the common cold to more severe diseases. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic is a public emergency of international concern that affects several nations. The widespread outbreak of the COVID 19 virus has brought major psychological pressure on the dental interns. However, the awareness and psychological impact on dental interns and postgraduates has not been studied in Chennai.

Aims:

This study aimed to evaluate the fear and awareness of infection among dental interns and postgraduates practicing during the current COVID-19 pandemic in and around Chennai and to explore their knowledge about guidelines to fight the virus and to assess various modifications in dental practice.

Materials and Methods:

An online survey was submitted to dental professionals. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire consisting of 26 closed-ended questions. The gathered data were statistically analyzed.

Results:

Totally, there were 150 respondents. The majority of students (81%) were anxious about treating the patients during the pandemic. Almost all are afraid of getting quarantined if they get infected. On the overall awareness and knowledge part, postgraduates have a slight edge when compared with dental interns.

Conclusions:

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a significant impact on dental professionals. Dental professionals were always vulnerable to infections, many long before the novel coronavirus. Hence, they need to proceed with utmost caution and treat everyone as a potential risk without causing more anxiety.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease-2019, dentist, fear and anxiety, infection, infection control, knowledge of COVID-19, precautions

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

How to cite this article: Premnath P, Vishakha S, Yamuna T, Kumar MY, Abullah Z. Psychological impact and knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 among dental interns and postgraduates: A cross-sectional study. Int J Soc Rehab 2019;4:1-5.