Risk Perception and Hesitancy of Dental Health Professionals towards COVID-19 Vaccine in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia-A Web-based Survey

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a common phenomenon due to its unknown long term side effects. Data regarding the sam is scanty in the Saudi Arabia region hence the purpose of this study was to assess the safety concerns and reasons for vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among dental health professionals in Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods: A total of 138 dental health professionals serving in a Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia were studied using an online-based structured, close-ended, and self-administered questionnaire developed by Paudel et al consisting of three sections: demographics, experiences, and willingness to get the vaccination, and perception of COVID-19, and COVID-19 vaccine safety. It was a cross sectional study where convienence sampling technique was employed. The total perception score was calculated by adding respondents' agreement with a set of eleven items using a Likert-type scale. Non-parametric tests (Mann– Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis) were used for analysis (p<0.05).

Results: A total of18.1% of respondents were diagnosed COVID-19 positive beforethe study. Many (71.7%) considered themselves at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. More than half (55.6%) of the participants believed the increased risk is due to their job type. Nevertheless, a considerable proportion of dental health professionals (89.9%) were willing to be vaccinated. The most common reason for hesitancy was the government approval of the safe and effective vaccine. The nationality, marital status, and type of dental professionals showed a statistically significant difference in vaccine safety perception and effectiveness concerns (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 vaccination is well accepted by dental professionals in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. However, vaccine hesitancy is mainly related to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and government approval of the vaccine.