Fallacy of Covid-19 Vaccine Coverage: Discovering Vaccine Hesitancy and Compliance in Private Dental Practitioners and Hospital-based Dentists to Improve Immunization Levels in Pakistan

Objective: To evaluate Covid-19 vaccine compliance amongst the general private practicing dentists’ population in comparison to tertiary hospital-based dentists in Pakistan post second wave of mass spread of the Covid-19 infection. Methodology: Multi-centered study conducted after taking ethical research committee approval. Total 300 participants enrolled via paper-based questionnaire. Participants included the general dentists and tertiary care dental hospital-based dentists. Exclusion criteria implied participants of pilot study, participants that were already vaccinated and those unwilling to participate in the study. Results: 32% of general dentists in Pakistan agreed to immunization if the Covid-19 vaccine is available in Pakistan (p<0.001). General private practicing dentists were also less likely to pay for the vaccination (p<0.001), less confident for a locally manufactured vaccine (p<0.001) as compared to hospital-based dentists. Conclusion: This study concluded that the general dentists’ population in Pakistan is still skeptical of Covid-19 vaccination and this attitude in-fact poses as a pandemic within pandemic.