INVESTIGATION OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES TAKEN BY FACULTY OF DENTISTRY STUDENTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICES AND PERCEIVED STRESS LEVELS DURING THE EPIDEMIC PERIOD

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the prevention measures applied by dentistry students in clinical conditions according to various variables and their perceived stress levels during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: The study was performed on 4th and 5th -grade students studying at RTEU Faculty of Dentistry. In the research, the whole count method was used, and data were collected from 168 students through an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, questions about prevention measures taken in clinical practice, and perceived stress scale questions. Normality test (Shapiro-Wilk) was applied to the data and T-Test and Chi-Square Analysis were used for statistical analysis. Significance was determined as p<0.05. Results: The perceived stress levels of female students were found to be significantly higher than that of male students, and the perceived stress levels of 5th-grade students were significantly higher than that of 4th-grade students. The perceived stress levels of the students who used rubber dams were found to be significantly lower than the students who did not use rubber dams and the students who paid attention to social distance in the clinic compared to those who did not pay attention to social distance. Moreover, the perceived stress levels of students who knew which institution to contact with a suspected COVID-19 patient were found to be significantly lower than those who did not know. Conclusion: It was determined that taking preventive measures in clinical practices was effective on students' perceived stress levels. Besides, it was observed that the perceived stress level of the students differed according to gender and grade level. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.