Acceptance of COVID -19 vaccines and associated barriers among dental students at college of Dentistry, University of Basrah: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Dental students (DS) were classified to be at a considerable risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to the nature of their practice. Assess the attitudes of DS towards COVID-19 vaccines and look into possible motivators for students’ acceptance levels were carried out. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental students to assess DS familiarity with and willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 880 DSs completed the survey. About 70% of DS confirmed that they would take the vaccine voluntarily, without any hesitation/apprehension. While 16% were reluctant to take the vaccine, and 14 % refused to take the vaccine. Vaccine acceptance among DS differed by various sociodemographic characteristics. Males (192/260; 73.8 %) appear to be more accepted to be vaccinated than females. On the other hand, DS at the clinical stage (162/209; 77.5%) represents the most respondents who were most likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (P =0.002). Only two variables show a significant difference between males and females regarding reasons behind not being vaccinated: fear of needle injection and fear of rumours that the vaccine may cause infertility (p-value = 0,048, 0,013), respectively. Social Media (n= 552: 62.7%), family and friends (n=549: 62.4%) were chosen by DS as the most trustworthy resources for information about the COVID-19 vaccination. The study showed a high acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among DS at the University of Basrah. The increased acceptance of COVID-19 immunization among DS is expected to benefit the community by raising awareness and vaccine uptake.