Evaluation of Parents' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Pediatric Dental Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major public health crisis worldwide and it also has generated new challenges for dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of the parents of pediatric patients about dental treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic through a questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured questionnaire consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions and demographic information about the knowledge and attitudes of parents regarding dental treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak was used for the study. The participants were parents of pediatric patients (aged 8-14 years) who visited for a routine orthodontic examination at the department of orthodontics. RESULTS: A total of 250 participants responded to the questionnaire. The findings indicate that more than 95% of parents had information about the transmission paths of the virus, took COVID-19 seriously, and told their children about this disease. 34% of the parents thought that dental clinics were more dangerous than other social areas, and 39.2% thought their children could be infected by medical instruments during dental treatment. A statistically significant difference was observed between educational levels in the answers given about the transmission paths of the virus, the danger of dental clinics in terms of the virus, the permitted dental treatment procedures, and the personal protective equipment of the dentist (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although most parents have information about COVID-19, there are differences in the knowledge and attitudes of parents during the pandemic period according to their educational level.