Health and Well-Being through COVID-19 Vaccination: Physical, Oral, and Psychological Effects

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Ajman Undergraduate Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Achieving widespread coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is crucial in controlling the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This cross-sectional study aimed to identify factors associated with the willingness of dental medicine students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Objectives

The study sought to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of undergraduate dental students toward COVID-19 vaccines and to identify determinants, motivators, and barriers to vaccine uptake and booster receipt.

Methods

A web-based survey was distributed to all 882 undergraduate dental surgery students in January 2022, and 70.7% of the students responded. The survey used χ² tests and logistic regression analysis to examine the association among the variables. The significance level was set at α = 0.05.

Results

Most participants (72.4%) reported having adequate knowledge of COVID-19. The vaccine acceptance rate was higher among male and older trainees, with no significant difference compared to women and younger trainees with no significant difference (p = 0.849). Acceptance of the vaccine varied according to study level (5-year program), ranging from 44.8% to 73.0%, in the following order 4th > 1st > 3rd > 5th > 2nd year. Social media (76.8%), government websites (66.5%), and family and friends (57.2%) were the main sources of COVID-19-related information. Among hesitant and unwilling participants, the main concerns were side effects (34.0%) and lack of understanding about the vaccine's mechanism (67.3%).

Conclusions

Ajman dental students had moderate knowledge of COVID-19 and obtained information mainly from social media, government websites, and family and friends. Age, sex, and study year influenced vaccine acceptance. The main reasons for refusal were lack of knowledge, fear of side effects, and complications. Education campaigns are needed to increase vaccine acceptance among dental students.

COVID-19 and Related Vaccinations in Children: Pathogenic Aspects of Oral Lesions

Various clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infections and adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination have been described in children. The present narrative review aimed to collect and synthesize reported findings on oral lesions detected in SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects following COVID-19 EMA-authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing-approved vaccine administration in the pediatric population to detail their clinical features and highlight possible pathogenic aspects of those lesions based on current evidence. Few and incomplete reports were retrieved from the literature, probably because most lesions belonged to a broad spectrum of systemic diseases and syndromes and were nonspecific or inaccurately described. The most common oral lesions in pediatric SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were erosive-ulcerative lesions and macules/petechiae, primarily erythematous. In the context of COVID-19 vaccination, oral adverse reactions were rare and typically presented as erosive-ulcerative lesions, with EM-like or unspecified patterns. Future studies should investigate oral lesions in SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects and after COVID-19 vaccination in the pediatric population, taking into account viral variants and newly developed vaccines. Deeper insight into oral lesions detectable in pediatric SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects and after COVID-19 vaccination may increase clinicians' ability to improve multidisciplinary pediatric oral and general care.