Knowledge and Attitude regarding Bioterrorism among Dental and Medical Graduates – A Cross-sectional Study

Context: Bioterrorism is defined as the intentional release of pathogenic microorganisms secretly, resulting in panic and the spread of infections. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding bioterrorism among medical and dental graduates. Settings and Design: This is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire study was conducted online among 80 medical graduates and 80 dental graduates. The collected data were statistically analyzed. Statistical Analysis: The collected data were statistically analyzed. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were generated for each question. Incomplete questionnaires were excluded in the course of the study. Statistical data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.0. Results: The study showed that 87.5% of medical and 61.3% of dental graduates were familiar with the term bioterrorism. However, only 43.8% of medical graduates and 23.8% of dental graduates were aware of the signs and symptoms of bioterrorism. Only 40% of medical graduates and 34.3% of dental graduates were familiar with child isolation measures for bioterrorism. However, almost 80% of medical graduates and 76.3% of dental graduates showed a positive attitude to help the government in counter-terrorism measures. Conclusions: This study concluded that the knowledge regarding bioterrorism is low in both medical and dental graduates. Both medical and dental graduates showed strong positive attitudes toward aiding in counter-bioterrorism measures.