Investigating the Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Vaccination Infection Status of Iranian Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Dental students have the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure due to close contact with patients and aerosol-generating procedures. This study aims to touch upon the frequency of COVID-19 infection after different doses of vaccination among Iranian dental students in 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to collect self-reported COVID-19 status. A total of 261 dental students volunteered to participate in the study. A total of 252 valid forms were gathered, with a response rate of 96.55%. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation, and Chi-square and Fisher exact tests by Spss17 (Chicago, USA) software. Results: The rate of COVID-19 infection significantly decreased after the first and third doses of vaccination. The rate of COVID-19 infection was not very different after the first, second, and third doses of the vaccine according to the type of vaccine. Despite gender, there was no significant difference between the study year and type of vaccine with the frequency of COVID-19 involvement. Serious complications following injection of AstraZeneca vaccine in all doses were observed in comparison to other types. Conclusion: Vaccination could decrease the rate of COVID-19 infection among dental students. The duration of COVID-19 infection also decreased after administration of different vaccine doses. There was no significant difference in the infection rate among students based on the type of vaccine received. Further studies should be conducted to explore the potential side effects and long-term effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.