Educational concerns and awareness level among dental hygiene students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mutluay, Abidin Talha; Mutluay, Merve

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the educational concerns and awareness level among dental hygiene students during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS A questionnaire, created via Google Forms, was sent electronically to 240 dental hygiene students from Turkey; of which, 223 replied to the survey. The questionnaire was divided into 4 parts and consisted of 24 close-ended questions. RESULTS The main symptoms of COVID-19 were correctly recognized by 71% of the students, and 40.2% of the students were aware of the transmission routes. Of all, 77.1% of the students expressed fear of getting infected, 96.9% believed that they would more likely get infected while performing dental procedures, and 91% believed that dental hygienists' cross-contamination risk was high. Furthermore, 69.5% of the students stated that their undergraduate education process was negatively affected, 59.6% appreciated ongoing online education, and 31.8% wanted face-to-face clinical internships. CONCLUSIONS Although most of the students were aware of the transmission routes and preventive measures of COVID-19, concerns regarding disease transmission among them remain. Students appreciated the ongoing online education and believed that face-to-face education is risky during this current pandemic. However, they believe that this process can adversely affect their professional knowledge and especially practical skills. A balance must be struck between sustaining an effective dental hygiene education process and containing the spread of COVID-19.