Willingness to participate in disaster management among Indian dental graduates

Introduction India has been the focal point of various disasters, and has suffered considerable losses due to the same. Manpower shortage can impede disaster management; hence, including dental professionals in disaster management in India can be crucial. Hypothesis/Problem To assess willingness to participate in disaster management among Indian dental graduates; to assess the objective knowledge, attitude, behavior and perceived knowledge regarding disaster management among Indian dental graduates. Methods All the interns in Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka were included in the present study. Their willingness to participate in disaster management and their objective knowledge, attitude, behavior and perceived knowledge related to disaster management were assessed using a questionnaire. Results A total of 86 study subjects participated. A majority (98.8%) of respondents were willing to participate in disaster management. Mean objective knowledge, attitude, behavior and perceived knowledge scores were 48.65%, 80.26%, 29.85% and 60.80% respectively. Males reported higher perceived knowledge than females (P =.008), and respondents residing in hostels reported higher perceived knowledge than those not residing in hostels (P =.02). Gender showed significant correlations with attitude (r = 4.076, P =.044) and behavior (r = 3.722, P =.054), and residence with behavior of respondents (r = 5.690, P =.017). Conclusions A high degree of willingness to provide assistance during disasters was observed among undergraduate dental students. High attitude coupled with low knowledge and behavior scores regarding disaster management was also observed. Gender was associated with attitude and behavior, and residence with behavior of respondents regarding disaster management. Including disaster management in dental curricula and involvement of dental professionals in disaster management might be crucial for disaster management in India. Rajesh G, Pai MBH, Shenoy R, Priya H.