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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Sri Lankan Dental Undergraduates Regarding Covid-19 Pandemic

Objective of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices towards COVID-19 infection of Sri Lankan dental undergraduates at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with participation of 246 undergraduate students in pre-clinical and clinical years in the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire sent via a Google form was used to collect data assessing above. Knowledge, practice, and fear scores of the students were assessed and compared considering their gender, age, year of study and socio-economic status. Students had a high knowledge score of 89.6%. Students had a good practice score of 84.4%. Clinical students had favorable practices to prevent spread than pre-clinical students (p=0.026). Mean for knowledge, practice and fear was higher among female students, but the difference was not statistically significant. Fear score was significantly higher in students who were above 25 years of age (p=0.006). Significant negative correlations were present between the fear score and practice score as well as the knowledge score and fear score, (p<0.05) indicating that the fear declines while increasing the knowledge and practice increases with the deduction of the fear. Students’ overall preparedness in terms of knowledge and attitudes is adequate for the management of dental patients during the COVID-19. However, it is recommended to bridge the gaps identified to reduce fear and improve practice for safe delivery of oral health care for the community. Keywords: COVID­19, dental undergraduates, knowledge, attitudes, practice, Sri Lanka