Knowledge regarding mucormycosis among the dental practitioners of haryana, india during covid-19 pandemic- a cross-sectional study

Background: During the current pandemic of COVID-19, a myriad of manifestations and complications have emerged and are being reported on. Mucormycosis is one of them, it is a rare opportunistic fungal infection characterized by infarction and necrosis of host tissues. The global mucormycosis case fatality rate is 46%. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential, as a delay of even 6 days is associated with a doubling of 30- day mortality from 35% to 66%.
Aim: To assess the Knowledge regarding Mucormycosis among the Dental Practitioners of Haryana, India, during the COVID-19 pandemic- A Cross-sectional Study.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire among 422 dental practitioners categorized into two groups (BDS, MDS) in Haryana from 15th May to 10th June 2021. The main outcome variable of the study was the mean knowledge score of mucormycosis.
Results: The study found 422 responses from the dental practitioners of Haryana. Among them, more than half were BDS (61.8%) and the majority did the private job (78.3%). Only 31.5% worked during COVID-19. The mean Knowledge score was 24.21±2.90, which implies that they had good knowledge regarding mucormycosis. A more knowledge score was obtained for the age group >31 years (24.58±3.01), who had income more than 30 K (24.45±2.86) and doing the private job (24.29±2.93). Those who contracted COVID-19 (24.33±2.88) and whose family and friends died of COVID-19(24.31(2.81) had a higher mean knowledge score. But no significant association was found between knowledge mean score and the independent variables in the study.
Conclusion: Mucormycosis, a new public health emergency, is critical to improving the knowledge and perceptions of healthcare professionals. The standard management of mucormycosis requires early diagnosis, a reversal of risk factors, and underlying illness. The clinician must have a high index of suspicion to diagnose this disease in any of its forms when it presents in a patient with risk factors. It highlights the role of the interprofessional team in evaluating and treating patients with this condition.