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. 2020 Jul 14:12:281-289.
doi: 10.2147/CCIDE.S261171. eCollection 2020.

Practices of Infection Control Among Dental Care Providers: A Cross Sectional Study

Arwa M Mahasneh  1 , Maram Alakhras  2 , Omar F Khabour  3 , Amani G Al-Sa'di  4 , Dana S Al-Mousa  2
Affiliations

Practices of Infection Control Among Dental Care Providers: A Cross Sectional Study

Arwa M Mahasneh et al. Clin Cosmet Investig Dent. .

Abstract

Background: A wide range of microorganisms poses a threat to patients and dental care teams. Implementation of safety guidelines is thus essential to prevent infection in dental clinics.

Aim: To investigate the level of infection-control practices among dental health-care providers in Jordan.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to dental care providers from hospitals, academic institutions, and dental centres. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic variables, professional characteristics, and recommended guidelines of infection control.

Results: A total of 190 questionnaires were obtained out of 500 distributed questionnnaires (response rate: 38%). Females accounted for 62.6% of the sample and 64.7% were dentists. The majority was vaccinated against hepatitis B (82.1%) and wash their hands as usual behavior before (66.3%) and after (83.2%) treatment. Approximately 87.9% wear gloves and 78.9% wear masks while performing dental procedures. Autoclave sterilization and puncture-resistant containers for sharp instruments were used by 90.5% and 88.4%, respectively. The majority (81.0%) had protocols for emergency treatment of needle stick or other sharps accidents. High volume evacuation was used in 28.6% of public hospitals compared to 19.4% in academic institutions (P<0.01). In addition, surface barriers for dental unit surfaces were used by 70.2% of private dental clinics, 50% of public hospitals, and 36.1% of academic institutions (P<0.001). Finally, compared to dentists, dental support staff showed low compliance with infection-control guidelines.

Conclusion: The overall practice of infection-control measures among the participants is very good. Educational programs and training strategies should be implemented to maximize and enhance the compliance of the dental care providers with infection-control guidelines.

Keywords: dental care providers; disinfection; infection control; sterilization; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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