Estudo colaborativo internacional acerca da adesão de estudantes de Odontologia e cirurgiões-dentistas ao controle de infecção em Radiologia Odontológica frente à pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adherence of dentists and dental students to infection control in Dental Radiology in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries. This research consisted of an observational cross-sectional study. Individuals who underwent intraoral radiographic examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The Questionnaire on Infection Control in Oral Radiology (QICOR) was used, comprising the following domains: hand hygiene, gloves, clothing, accessories, radiographic receivers, equipment protection/disinfection, gloves, digital radiographic system, cleaning and disinfection. The application of the questionnaire was carried out virtually using Google Forms after agreement of the TCLE by the participants. Participants from all continents (America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania) were recruited. For statistical analysis, descriptive analysis, simple binary regression and multiple binary regression (5%) were used. A total of 582 valid responses were identified, 391 of which were female, 190 were male, and 1 was a different gender. A total of 193 dentistry students participated in the study, most of them female, with a mean age of 22 years. For the sample of dentists, 389 professionals participated, also being the majority female, with a mean age of 36 years. Regarding the continent, 68.73% of the participants were from the American continent, 18.90% from Europe, and 12.37% from Asia. The median adherence to infection control protocols was 94 points for dental students and 104 points for dentists. Individuals who were below the median are considered to have low adherence to infection control protocols in Dental Radiology, on the other hand, participants above the median show greater adherence to infection control. Low adherence to infection control protocols was verified for 53.0% of dentists on the American continent, 34.0% on the European continent and 26.9% on the Asian continent. Considering age, it was observed that individuals aged 36 years or older were more likely to adhere to infection control protocols than younger individuals. Dentistry students (44.56%) were less adept at infection control protocols than dentists (43.44%). The presence of comorbidities did not interfere with the results. It is concluded that, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to infection control protocols in Dental Radiology was low. It is suggested that the results of the present study help raise the awareness of students and professionals, as Dental Radiology procedures, especially thoserelated to intraoral radiographic techniques, have the potential for transmission of SARS-CoV-2.