KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF DENTAL AND ENT PROFESSIONALS TOWARDS PRE-PROCEDURAL USE OF POVIDONE-IODINE MOUTH RINSE DURING COVID -19 -- A QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Aims And Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of dental and ENT Professionals towards Pre-procedural use of Povidone-Iodine Mouth rinse during Covid -19. The latent objective was to revitalize the usage of pre-procedural Povidone iodine rinse in clinical settings for Covid-19 cross infection containment. Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Post Graduate Department of Periodontics and Oral Implantology, Govt Dental College & Hospital Srinagar, J & K. An online questionnaire was distributed among dental and ENT professionals including Interns, Junior residents, Post Graduate Students, Dental and ENT Surgeons. Online social media platforms were utilized to disseminate the questionnaire. The study had a sample size of 223 participants. Results:39.5% participants were doing pre-procedural mouth rinse of patients before Covid-19 pandemic. Post Covid -19 pandemic, 53.5 % practitioners started doing the pre-procedural mouth rinsing of patients. 51.9 % participants were using PVP-I as pre-procedural mouth rinse,41.3 % of participants were using CHX while as 6.8 % were using any other rinsing agent.52.2 % of participants viewed it as moderately effective in containment of Covid-19 cross infection. 43.5 % of participants considered PVP-I as having higher virucidal activity,26.1 % of participants considered CHX as having higher virucidal activity.30.4 % participants considered Hydrogen peroxide as more effective anti-viral agent than both PVP-I and CHX. Conclusion: There is a dire need to raise awareness amongpractitioners in general and dentists in particular, regardingthe virucidal activity of available mouthwashes as is backed by various in-vitro studies. With the Covid-19 pandemic carving out a new normal, the specialists dealing with aerosol producing procedures need to perform the clinical duties more safely. This would be a shot in the arm in our fight against SARS COV-2 driven pandemic.