Journal of Education and Ethics in Dentistry

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2011  |  Volume : 1  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 52--58

Knowledge and attitude towards swine influenza (2009) among dental practitioners in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India


Sudhakar Kaipa1, Venkatarao Epari2, Sandhya Gupta3 
1 Department of Community Dentistry, Mamata Dental College, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India
2 Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India
3 Department of Physiology, Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India

Correspondence Address:
Venkatarao Epari
Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciencesand SUM Hospital, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
India

Background: The practice of dentistry exposes dentists to a variety of micro-organisms that are transmittable via blood, oral or respiratory secretions. Recent outbreak of swine flu virus has posed a greater risk of occupational transmission to dentists as it can spread through the aerosols. In our study, we assessed the knowledge and attitude of dentists regarding swine flu (2009) in Nellore, India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted during November and December 2009 in the south Indian district of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Self-administered, anonymous, multiple-choice type study questionnaire elicited information from 220 Dentists across the district. Results: The Mean (±Standard Deviation, S.D) scores of knowledge and attitude were 37.92 (±5.63) and 11.34 (±2.51) from the maximum scores of 52 and 20 respectively. After adjusting for other variables, multivariable linear regression analysis showed gender, location and qualification of the participant contributing significantly to the knowledge score indicating a male participant, who is from urban area with higher qualification, had better knowledge. Attitude scores were not associated with any of the variables at significant level. Conclusion: Although the knowledge level seems to be moderately high, there were some note-worthy yet disturbing gaps in knowledge. This study showed that the dentists�SQ� attitude towards swine flu was satisfactory. Emphasis during undergraduate teaching and continuous dental educational campaigns regarding infectious diseases are recommended for the dentists, as preparedness for future disease outbreaks.


How to cite this article:
Kaipa S, Epari V, Gupta S. Knowledge and attitude towards swine influenza (2009) among dental practitioners in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.J Educ Ethics Dent 2011;1:52-58


How to cite this URL:
Kaipa S, Epari V, Gupta S. Knowledge and attitude towards swine influenza (2009) among dental practitioners in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India. J Educ Ethics Dent [serial online] 2011 [cited 2024 Mar 28 ];1:52-58
Available from: https://www.jeed.in/article.asp?issn=0974-7761;year=2011;volume=1;issue=2;spage=52;epage=58;aulast=Kaipa;type=0