Evaluation of the Relationship Between Dentist Knowledge of the Covid-19 and the Using of the Rubber Dam in Endodontic Treatment

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the change of the using of rubber dam related to COVID-19 pandemic and knowledge of dentists about this virus. Material and Methods: A questionnaire developed by the researchers in our study was sent to dentists through various channels (university websites, social media) to fill out. A total of 389 participants participated in the study. The questionnaire consists of 3 parts and consists of 31 questions in total. In the first part, there are 8 questions about the demographic characteristics of the participants, 7 in the second part that evaluate the use of rubber dam by the dentists, and in the third part there are 16 questions that measure their knowledge level about COVID-19. Results: In our study, 27.5% of all participants and 56.4% of endodontists reported that the frequency of using rubber dam during endodontic procedures increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However; it was found that the knowledge levels of all participants and endodontists (when evaluated separately) did not differ according to their education on COVID-19 and the use of rubber dam. (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although the using of the rubber dam has increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, the using of the rubber dam during root canal treatment is still very low, in our study. Although no relationship was found between the knowledge level of COVID-19 and the using of the rubber dam, the factors affecting the using of the rubber dam should be investigated by other studies.