Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Pre-procedural Mouthwash use amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic among Dental Students.

Abstract

COVID-19 created an abnormal scenario worldwide, altering the integral dynamics of medical dentistry. This KAP survey was carried out to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices among dental students regarding the use of pre-procedural mouthwashes. An online questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st July to 12th July 2021, among undergraduate and postgraduate dental students of Saveetha Dental College. The survey form consisted of 12 questions, which were circulated among the participants and the responses were subjected to statistical analysis. The data was imported and analyzed through SPSS software. 70.6% of the participants were aware that Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the dental setting commonly by means of respiratory droplets and aerosols throughout a dental procedure.Within the limitations of the study, there is adequate knowledge regarding preprocedural use of mouthwash that can effectively reduce the bacterial viral load in dental aerosols.