EVALUATING THE AWARENESS AND PERFORMANCE RATIO OF DENTAL ASSISTANTS WORKING IN DENTISTRY CENTERS OF THE CITY OF AHVAZ IN SOUTHWEST IRAN, ABOUT INFECTION CONTROL

Background and Objective: Infection control is among the most important priorities of dentistry profession that is related to the health of dentists, assistants, and patients. Thus, this study has been performed in order to evaluate the awareness and performance ratio of dental assistants working in the dentistry centers of the city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran, about infection control in 2015. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 217 dental assistants working in dentistry healthcare centers were selected in a stratified random way. The awareness and performance ratio of dental assistants about infection control was evaluated by research made questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS 21 software. Results: Among the total dental assistants participating in the study, 1.9% were male and 98.1% were female. In respect of workplace, 69% were working in private clinics, 29.6% in personal clinic, and 1.4% in public clinics. From the maximum 20 scores of awareness, 25.9% had the score 8 of awareness, and 24.5% had the score 10 of awareness. The mean score of assistants' awareness has also been 8.69±2.903. There was a positive and significant relationship between the awareness ratio and work experience, and by work experience increase, the awareness ratio increased too. The highest mean of awareness ratio of assistants was in the personal clinics and after it in the private clinics. Conclusion: Considering the low level of dental assistants' awareness and performance about infection control, it is suggested to offer necessary trainings in a more effective way to them in this regard. Keywords: Awareness, Performance, Dental Assistants, Infection Control, Iran.