Infection control practices among undergraduate students from a private dental school in India

Authors

  • Santhosh Kumar
  • Jyothi Sharma
  • Prabu Duraiswamy
  • Suhas Kulkarni

Keywords:

Infection control, undergraduate students

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate compliance with recommended infection control procedures among junior and senior dental students from a private dental school in India. Methods: The study sample comprised 142 (76 males and 66 females) junior and senior dental students from a private dental institution located in Udaipur city, India. A self applied, closed ended questionnaire (response as ‘yes’ or ‘no’) was used to collect data. The questionnaire consisted of 15 items related to medical history taking, vaccination status, barrier techniques, and infection control practices. Results: Only one tenth of the subjects (9.9%) reported adherence to all infection control procedures. Barely one tenth of the population surveyed used plastic wrappings for sterilized instruments, and approximately three fourths of the subjects were vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Changing of face masks and handpieces between patients was reported by 21.7% and 24.6% of senior students, respectively, in contrast to 1.4% and 8.3% of the junior students. Conclusion: The undergraduate students at this private dental institution in India exhibited poor infection control practices. These findings show the need to change organizational and administrative procedures to enable dental students to follow a strict infection control protocol.

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Published

2009-03-17

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 2 (2009)

Section

Original Article

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