COVID-19 infection among dentists in Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 incidence was relatively high among dentists in Iraq, reflecting the high number of cases in the community. Therefore, possible epidemiological features of COVID-19 infection were investigated among dentists in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Methodology: A cross-sectional study has been conducted among dentists using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic and working characteristics, self-reported COVID-19 history, and prevention practices toward SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. An online questionnaire was developed and spread with a snowball method among dentists. Results: We analyzed the responses of 83 participants (31 women and 52 men, mean age 33.8 ± 6.8 years). They had a mean of 10.6 ± 6.5 years of work experience and 20.2 ± 12.6 hours of weekly working time. In total, 46 (55.4%) of the participants reported COVID-19 infection. Only 29 (34.9%) participants always followed the hygiene rules. The most common personal precautions were mask-wearing (98.8%) and hand hygiene as a part of institutional protective precaution (51.8%). Of the infected dentists, 24 (52.2%) did not know the source of infection. Of the remaining 16 (34.8%) were infected from family and/or friends circle, and five (10.9%) from patients. Eleven of them (23.9%) reported transmitting the infection to at least one person. In the multivariate analyses, working in Sulaymaniyah Province (p = 0.031) and working only in a public hospital (p = 0.029) were significant risk factors for COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: The high risk of COVID-19 infection among dentists in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region relates to their family and friends rather than their occupation.