Awareness and Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Measures among Oral Health Care Workers in Nigeria

Some studies have been conducted worldwide on the preparedness of dentists and even dental students for infection prevention and control with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but very few studies have been done among other Oral Health Care Workers (OHCWs). The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and practices of dental health care workers in Nigeria on infection prevention and control with regards to COVID-19.

This was a descriptive study on the knowledge and practices regarding infection control protocols and procedures with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic among dental personnel in Nigeria. A validated self-administered questionnaire was utilised for data collection. Bivariate analysis was done with a Chi-squared test to determine the association between the participants age, gender, profession and place of practice with knowledge and practices regarding COVID 19 infection. Statistical significance in associations was inferred at P-value < 0.05.

The majority of the OHCWs (77.4%) had good knowledge about infection prevention and control, and regulations regarding COVID-19, but most of them (58.5%) displayed poor practices with regard to infection prevention and control regulations related to COVID-19. Male respondents (68.8%), those aged between 55-64 (83.3%) years and Dental therapists (71.4%) had a higher proportion of those with good practices with the male gender and profession (Dental Therapist) being significantly associated with good practices. (P<0.05).

Our study identified a high rate of knowledge but low compliance with infection prevention and control guidelines regarding COVID-19. Better compliance with recommended infection control and waste management practices for all OHCWs and continuing education programs promoting infection control awareness are vital to improving the practices of these OHCWs.