Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Dental Sciences and Internship Students in Ajman University, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice among dental students (DS) and internship students at Ajman University (AU). METHODS: A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among Ajman dental college students registered in the academic year 2019/2020, about COVID-19 during the first week of April 2020. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all DS to examine their knowledge and attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Chi-square (χ(2)) test was used to investigate the level of association among categorical variables at the significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: Out of 769 students in the dental college, majority (75%) had adequate knowledge of COVID-19, but only 40.6% of the participants projected a positive attitude. A positive behavior was reported by an overwhelming 94.5% of the participants. Participants above 25 years of age had significantly higher (p < 0.001) adequate knowledge (88.2%), positive attitude (56.9%), and positive behavior (100%) compared to those below 25 years of age. Study participants reported social media (71.1%), government websites (63.7%), and family and friends (41.0%) as top three sources of information regarding COVID-19 related information. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that AU dental and internship students have adequate knowledge and positive attitude of the COVID-19 pandemic but the majority are not eager to adopt effective strategies to avoid the spread of COVID-19 (practice). Further education should be offered to encourage efficient infection management practices to protect students, faculty, and other university staff.