Epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19 in Dentistry students at the University of El Salvador

Abstract

Objective: to report results of the epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19 in students of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of El Salvador carried out in August 2021 and February 2022.
Methodology: prospective longitudinal study through a survey (using a Google Forms form with a self-registration format by email) carried out among students of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of El Salvador in two phases: the first, in August 2021 with a participation of 530 students and the second, in February 2022 with a participation of 475. The data was migrated from the Google Forms template to the SPSS® v26 statistical program and analyzed using descriptive and tabulated statistics for better interpretation.
Results: 65.1% of the interviewees received their virtual content in the first phase. The level of infections in those vaccinated reflects that in August 2021 only 4.5% of women and 2.6% of men became ill with COVID-19. In the second phase, in February 2022, infections increased to 19.6% in women and 6.10% in men. In both phases, a high percentage of vaccinated dental students from the University of El Salvador was demonstrated.
Conclusion: the high percentage of students vaccinated and the low percentage of students diagnosed with COVID-19, evidences the high acceptance of the vaccination plan implemented.