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

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.

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