Awareness on dental treatment during covid-19 among south indian population

Abstract

Introduction: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, frontline health care workers and patients undergoing dental procedures are at the high risk of cross-infection. Most of the dental procedures require contact with the saliva, blood, and respiratory tract secretions in the oral cavity of the patient. Many patients may be carriers of the virus. It may be suggested that all patients visiting a dental office must be treated with due precautions and utmost care to prevent the cross-infection. The aim of this study was to create awareness on dental treatment during COVID-19 among the South Indian population. Materials and Methods: A self-structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to collect the data through online Google forms link. The participants were well informed about the study in detail. The data were collected and statistically analyzed. Results and Conclusion: People need to be educated about their personal hygiene which will prevent the disease spread. Awareness seminars may be conducted to educate the community about dental treatment in this pandemic period. Conclusion: Closing dental practices during the pandemic will increase the suffering of individuals in need of urgent dental care. This calls for the designing of standard guidelines for dental care during the worldwide spread of the pandemic. Awareness may be created on the use of masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing for patients to prevent the disease spread.