KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE REGARDING INFECTION CONTROL AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS AT BASRA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY, IRAQ

Background: Infection control guideline in dental practice must be followed and practiced all time by dental students during daily practices, so they can reduce the risk of transmittance of a many of dangerous infectious diseases to them and to their patients and other health care personnel. As the dental students consider high risk groups because they exposed continuously to microorganism present in saliva and blood during treatment. Objectives: To assess and evaluate the knowledge and practices regarding infection control of dental students in the college of Dentistry in Basra, Iraq. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out during the academic year 2014-2015. The questionnaire form consists of 25 questions; 15 of them related to knowledge of student and 10 questions related to practices of infection control guideline. 94 dental students from 3rd, 4th and 5th class participated in this survey. Data were collected and analyzed. The Results: The response rate was 92.1%; there were no significance differences between male and female. In general, a low percent (62%) of students possessed a high level of knowledge related to infection control, all students always wearing gloves and face mask, while wearing gowns and eyewear protection in a very low percent. Washing hands before and after treatment was practiced relatively in low percent 74.5, half of the students practiced pending of needles and discard properly after uses. Among all students under study, 37.2% were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus, but it was statistically not significant with respect to years of study. Conclusions: In general, dental student had a low level of knowledge related to infection control and they practiced some guideline in a very low percent; especially washing hands between patients and bending of needles after uses, a small percent of dental students were vaccinated against HBV