Dental Practitioners’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practices for Mouthwash Use Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Eisha Imran,1 Zohaib Khurshid,2 Necdet Adanir,3 Heba Ashi,4 Nawaf Almarzouki,5 Hosam Ali Baeshen6 1Department of Dental Materials, Islamic International Dental College, Riphah International University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan; 2Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Implantology, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Dental Public Health, College of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Zohaib KhurshidDepartment of Prosthodontics and Dental Implantology, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi ArabiaTel +966-558-420410Email drzohaibkhurshid@gmail.comIntroduction: COVID-19 created a peculiar situation worldwide, thus altering the fundamental dynamics of clinical dentistry. This KAP survey was carried out to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices among dental practitioners regarding the use of mouthwashes and emphasize on pre-procedural utilization of mouthwashes.Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted during 1st to 15th July 2020, among working dental practitioners across the globe. A questionnaire was formed on Kwiksurveys.com, it comprised of demographic details, it further investigated the level of knowledge and new precautionary measures adopted. A total number of 707 dental practitioners from eighteen different countries responded.Results: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. A “fisher exact test” was applied to assess the difference between the mouthwashes prescribed by various countries. Knowledge section revealed a requisite understanding regarding the disease and its transmission. Only 38.9% of the participants knew that Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) mouthwashes are more efficient in reducing coronaviruses in contrast to mouthwashes made of chlorhexidine (CHX). Whereas 33.9% knew that 0.23% of PVP-I had substantial virucidal activity against SARS-COV, MERS-CoV, influenza virus and rotavirus while 31.1% recognized that oral rinses of Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) remained successful in the oral cavity for up to 180– 300 minutes.Conclusion: There is an immense need to raise awareness among practitioners, regarding the viricidal activity of commercially available mouthwashes as demonstrated by numerous in-vitro studies and urge health workers to carry out more clinical trials and to get a translational step towards clinical practice.Keywords: mouthwash, povidone-iodine, PVP-I, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, dental procedures