Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Among the Dental Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kosovo

International Journal of Biomedicine 13(1) (2023) 161-167 http://dx.doi.org/10.21103/Article13(1)_OA24 ORIGINAL ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICINE Medical Education Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Among the Dental Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kosovo Vlorë Hysenaj Cakolli1, Valë Hysenaj Hoxha2, Valbona Ferizi3, Lulëjeta Ferizi Shabani4,5∗ Department of Periodontology Alma Mater Europaea, Campus College “Rezonanca”, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo 2 Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo 3 Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo 4 Department of Pediatric Dentistry Alma Mater Europaea, Campus College “Rezonanca”, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo 5 Departament of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, University Dentistry Clinical Center of Kosovo, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo 1 Abstract Background: The current pandemic of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 has affected almost all countries of the world. Dental students are exposed to a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to direct contact with patients. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19. Methods and Results: A total of 157 dental students from the first to the fifth year of studies, regardless of gender, were included in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to dental students at the College to ensure unbiased responses. The questionnaire, based on information provided by WHO and the CDC on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, contains sociodemographic questions and 19 questions exploring knowledge about the definition, symptoms, source of infection, routes of transmission, treatment, vaccination, and stress related to COVID-19. Most of the dental students recognized the acronym COVID-19 (51%) and knew all the symptoms of the disease (62.4%), as well as the way of transmission (100.0%). Moreover, 85.4% of them had a lot of knowledge about the preventive measures against COVID-19, and 99.4% thought that dentists were a group at risk of infection. About 64.3% of students had been infected with COVID-19, but most of them (63.5%) were treated only with vitamins and paracetamol. Regarding vaccination, 94.9% of dental students were vaccinated: 75.8% of them had received two doses of the vaccine, 13.4% of them three doses, while 6.4% had received only one dose. A small percentage were not vaccinated at all (5.1%), and the reason for this was their allergies and fear of vaccines (37.5%). Nevertheless, several dental students felt that they did not have enough information about the vaccine and its safety (34.4%). The pandemic affected the depression of 49.0% of dental students, and a large percentage of them felt tired of the continued news about COVID-19 (91.7%). Conclusion: The findings show a very high number of dental students who had good knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we recommend informing and educating dental students about the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of vaccination, but also about mental health care. (International Journal of Biomedicine. 2023;13(1):161-167.) Keywords: COVID-19 • knowledge • attitude • dental students For citation: Cakolli VH, Hoxha VH, Ferizi V, Shabani LF. Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Among the Dental Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kosovo. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2023;13(1):161-167. doi:10.21103/Article13(1)_OA24 Abbreviations COVID-19, coronavirus disease of 2019; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; PPE, personal protective equipment; SARS-Cov-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; WHO, World Health Organization. 162 V. H. Cakolli et al. / International Journal of Biomedicine 13(1) (2023) 161-167 Introduction The coronavirus (COVID-19) infection spread completely around the world, and authorities in 227 countries and territories have reported about 666.9 million Covid19 cases and 6.7 million deaths since China reported its first cases to the WHO in December 2019.(1) Within a week of the disease’s appearance, over 107 nations around the world had closed all schools, affecting the lives of more than 862 million students around the world.(2) The COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures introduced to slow its spread have significantly affected the day-to-day lifestyle and mental well-being of the general public; however, many higher education students have found themselves in a unique situation, perhaps isolated in a household with others they do not know well.(3) The impact of COVID-19 on the dental community is evident. Dental education programs and academic activities have also suffered from the ramifications of the pandemic.(4) Students face an increasingly uncertain environment, where financial and health shocks (for example, lack of resources to complete their studies or fear of becoming seriously ill), along with the transition to online learning, may have affected their academic performance, educational plans, current labor market participation, and expectations about future employment.(5) Students have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple ways: threats to their own and their family’s health, the closure of schools and pivoting to online learning, a long summer of physical distancing, and then the challenge of returning to school in the fall of 2020.(6) Since dentistry students are in close contact with people affected during this pandemic, they must have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19, and it is believed that this will affect their preventive behaviors.(7) When the first case of COVID-19 in Kosovo was announced in March 2020, dental students had insufficient awareness, and they did not have sufficient knowledge of this viral infection. This knowledge involves using all barriers, such as facemasks, eye protection with lateral shields, and protective clothing, adequate disinfection of clinical premises, and proper sterilization of the dental equipment and instruments.(8,9) The high prevalence of anxiety, fear, stress, and depressive symptoms among the students might be due to the disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic in their academic life. This sudden disruption has a long-term effect on their future career, health, and personal life.(10) This current study is directed toward determining the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception among dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods Study Design and Sampling Procedures A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of dental students (n=157) attending Alma Mater Europaea, Campus College “Rezonanca” (Pristina, Kosovo) to investigate the perceptions of the students regarding theoretical knowledge and stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, students were invited to participate anonymously in (...truncated)