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Assessment of the awareness level of dental students toward Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus

2015; Medknow; Volume: 5; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4103/2231-0762.159951

2250-1002

Mohamed Yaser Kharma, Mohamad Sadek Alalwani, ManalFouad Amer, Bassel Tarakji, Ghassan Aws,

Infection Control and Ventilation

Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in healthcare facilities. Therefore, healthcare workers should be aware of all procedures concerning prevention of and protection from MERS-CoV.The aim of this study is to improve the knowledge of the dental students and evaluate their awareness about MERS-CoV.A questionnaire was made according to MOH information and 200 dental students (Al-Farabi Colleges, Jeddah) were interviewed to evaluate their knowledge about MERS-CoV.More than half of the dental students (54%) interviewed had good knowledge about the etiology, symptoms, and treatment of MERS-CoV. Measurements for infection control and protection were also known (79%). The sources of information for the students were: college (27%), MOH (25%), media (24%), and social community (23%), while 17% of the students interviewed had no idea about it.Dental students had good knowledge about MERS-CoV. However, more information still must be provided by MOH and college for the medical staff.