Disaster Management and General Dental Practitioners in India: An Overlooked Resource.

Objective: To assess General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) in India willingness to participate in disaster management and their previous training pertaining to disaster management, and to assess GDP objective knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding disaster management.

Materials And Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted on all GDPs of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Willingness to participate, perceived knowledge, perceived effectiveness, objective knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding disaster management were assessed through questionnaire method. Information also was collected regarding age, gender, religion, and residence.

Results: A total of 142 out of 180 GDPs participated in the study, representing a response rate of 79%. A majority (85%) of respondents were willing to participate in disaster management. Mean score for knowledge was 12.21%, for attitude was 33.56%, for behavior was 14.50%, and for perceived effectiveness was 9.08%. Significant correlations were observed between qualification and perceived effectiveness (P=.003), and between attitude and years of practice (P=.04). Willingness to participate in disaster management and age showed significant association (P=.000).

Conclusions: High willingness and attitude to participate in disaster management was observed among respondents. Low knowledge and behavior scores were observed among GDPs.