Assessment of Compliance of Guidelines about Prevention of COVID-19 in Dental Setting in Ardabil City

To deal with the more and sudden prevalence of covid-19, dentists should be aware of recent developments, especially the guidelines for the prevention of covid-19. This study aimed to assess of compliance with guidelines about the prevention of covid-19 in the dental setting in Ardabil city in 2022.

This cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study was conducted in the period from May to August 2022. In this study, 254 general and specialist dentists were examined using full-census sampling. The tool for collecting information was a researcher-made questionnaire that was valid and reliable based on the country's guidelines, which included 6 demographic and 41 questions related to compliance with the instructions related to the prevention of covid-19. After collecting the data, they were classified and analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher's exact test. SPSS software version 26 was used for data analysis. The acceptable error level was considered 0.05.

The survey results showed that the rate of compliance with guidelines about the prevention of covid-19 in the index of patient management before treatment was estimated at 45%, in the index of required equipment and personal protection requirements were 72.42%, and in the index of required therapeutic action during the pandemic was 42.81%. There was a significant difference in compliance with the guidelines related to the prevention of covid-19 based on education and work history (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in compliance with the guidelines related to the prevention of covid-19 based on gender, age, marital status, and history of corona infection.

The level of compliance with the guidelines related to the prevention of covid-19 in the dental centers of Ardabil city was at an average level and was influenced by factors such as the dentist's education and work history.