Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr 24:10:135-142.
doi: 10.2147/IDR.S128161. eCollection 2017.

Uniform-related infection control practices of dental students

Yazan Aljohani  1 , Mohammed Almutadares  1 , Khalid Alfaifi  1 , Mona El Madhoun  1 , Maysoon H Albahiti  2 , Nadia Al-Hazmi  3
Affiliations

Uniform-related infection control practices of dental students

Yazan Aljohani et al. Infect Drug Resist. .

Abstract

Background: Uniform-related infection control practices are sometimes overlooked and underemphasized. In Saudi Arabia, personal protective equipment must meet global standards for infection control, but the country's Islamic legislature also needs to be taken into account.

Aim: To assess uniform-related infection control practices of a group of dental students in a dental school in Saudi Arabia and compare the results with existing literature related to cross-contamination through uniforms in the dental field.

Method: A questionnaire was formulated and distributed to dental students at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which queried the students about their uniform-related infection control practices and their methods and frequency of laundering and sanitizing their uniforms, footwear, and name tags.

Results: There is a significant difference between genders with regard to daily uniform habits. The frequency of uniform washing was below the standard and almost 30% of students were not aware of how their uniforms are washed. Added to this, there is no consensus on a unified uniform for male and female students.

Conclusion: Information on preventing cross-contamination through wearing uniforms must be supplied, reinforced, and emphasized while taking into consideration the cultural needs of the Saudi society.

Keywords: cross-contamination; dental students; infection control; uniforms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Type of daily clinical uniform.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of washing scrubs/everyday pants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of washing lab coats.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Frequency of washing footwear.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Agostinho AM, Miyoshi PR, Gnoatto N, Paranhos H de FO, de Figueiredo LC, Salvador SL. Cross-contamination in the dental laboratory through the polishing procedure of complete dentures. Braz Dent J. 2004;15(2):138–143. - PubMed
    1. Yüzbasioglu E, Saraç D, Canbaz S, Saraç YS, Cengiz S. A survey of cross-infection control procedures: knowledge and attitudes of Turkish dentists. J Appl Oral Sci. 2009;17(6):565–569. - PMC - PubMed
    1. College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia [homepage on the Internet] Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines. College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia; 2012. [Accessed February 26, 2017]. Available from: https://www.cdsbc.org/practice-resources/professional-practice/standards....
    1. Harrel SK, Molinari J. Aerosols and splatter in dentistry: a brief review of the literature and infection control implications. J Am Dent Assoc. 2004;135(4):429–437. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Acharya S, Priya H, Purohit B, Bhat M. Aerosol contamination in a rural university dental clinic in south India. Int J Infect Control. 2010;6:1–7.

LinkOut - more resources