Perception of Fomite Route of Transmission, Usage of Masks and Role of Saliva in coronavirus DISEASE-19 Infections: A Cross-sectional Survey among Dental Health Care Professionals in Saudi Arabia

Background: Coronavirus disease-19 has been spreading globally with the rise of many variants after being declared as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. There is a lack of scientific literature focused on fomite transmission of COVID-19, especially the potential of saliva as a contributing factor in the spread and diagnosis of COVID-19 in dental healthcare practice. Hence, the aim was to comprehend the level of awareness of dental health care professionals/practitioners (DHCPs) about the role of fomite route of transmission and the role of saliva in Coronavirus DISEASE-19 (COVID-19) infections. Methods: An electronic questionnaire using Google Forms was circulated online after ethical approval and validation to dental health practitioners in Saudi Arabia, via emails and social media platforms. Results: Three hundred and eighty-nine responses were recorded. The female DHCPs had statistically significant awareness of the fomite route of transmission among various dental health professionals (p=0.04) and dental students, and dental interns had the maximum awareness (p<0.05). The DHCPS preferred to learn and collect nasopharyngeal specimens by themselves for COVID-19 testing. Doctoral DHCPs had maximum awareness about WHO guidelines for social distancing, while dental nurses were more informed about infection control methods against COVID-19. Conclusion: DHCPs have adequate information about the fomite route of transmission and the role of saliva in COVID-19. Saliva specimen collection is specifically preferred for COVID-19 testing by dental assistants and hygienists for testing in the dental health center/clinic/university. The DHCPs and dental hygienists were less aware of the fomite route of transmission through asymptomatic COVID-19 infected patients.