SELF PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS-A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

Background and aim :The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and societal emergency that requires the adoption of unprecedented measures to control the rapid spread of the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. The aim of the research was to know the self perception of the impact of covid 19 pandemic among dental students. Methodology: This survey was conducted using a self administered questionnaire that was circulated among dental students. The questionnaire comprised 10 questions through which the knowledge, attitude were determined. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. The responses from the Google sheet were transferred into excel and were then imported to SPSS software. Total of 100 participated in this survey. Only completely filled forms were taken in for analysis. Frequency and percentage was used for description, Chi square test was done as inferential statistics. Results: From the results of the present study it was seen that 89.16 % of the participants hesitated to work with patients who suspected Covid 19 and 79% of the participants felt that Covid 19 pandemic affected their practical skill acquisition. Association of year of study and what do the dental students think about dentists' role in teaching others about Covid 19. It was seen that the majority of the participants had responded that the dentist role in teaching others about covid 19 is very significant. The Chi square analysis was done and the association was found to be statistically significant, p-value being 0.027 (p<0.05). In the association between year of study and if the students feel that covid 19 pandemic affects your practical skill acquisition. Majority of the participants had responded yes covid 19 pandemic affected their practical skill acquisition.The Chi square analysis was done and the association was found to be statistically significant, p-value being 0.027 (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, Students were aware of the impact of COVID-19 and took serious precautionary measures. However, following strict infection control protocols and periodic orientation of students to these protocols are ways to guarantee a safer environment for both patients and students to overcome the pandemic.