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
. 2025 Jun:160:26-33.
doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2025.03.009. Epub 2025 Apr 9.

Risk factors for blood exposure accidents and their reporting in dentistry in The Netherlands

I F Persoon  1 , A M Kaan  1 , N Su  2 , J J de Soet  1 , C M C Volgenant  3
Affiliations
Free article

Risk factors for blood exposure accidents and their reporting in dentistry in The Netherlands

I F Persoon et al. J Hosp Infect. 2025 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Oral healthcare practitioners (OHCPs) face risks for blood-borne viruses following blood exposure accidents (BEAs).

Aim: This study aimed to investigate occupational BEAs in Dutch oral healthcare clinics, explore BEA risk factors, and identify reasons for non-reporting.

Methods: Two questionnaires were distributed: one prospective questionnaire was sent to BEA reporters who contacted a nationally operating reporting centre for occupational BEAs (issued before and after European legislation on recapping), and a retrospective questionnaire was sent to clinics which did not report any BEA in the previous four years. Data were analysed and logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with BEA occurrence and reporting. This study is reported according to the STROBE-statement.

Findings: A total of 516 questionnaires were returned (37.7%), with 445 OHCPs having experienced a BEA, compared with 69 who had not. Most BEAs occurred with anaesthetic needles (43.3%) while cleaning up instruments (51.6%). Recapping remained an important cause after its prohibition (P=0.076). Dentists were less informed on safety protocols (P<0.001) and BEA consequences (P<0.001) compared with non-dentists (oral hygienists and dental assistants). OHCPs with accurate knowledge of BEA protocols were more likely to experience BEAs (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.5-5.6, P=0.001) and to report a BEA (OR = 8.0, 95% CI 3.9-16.5, P<0.001) than those without. Dentists had 0.3 times lower odds (95% CI 0.1-0.7, P=0.004) of reporting BEAs than non-dentists.

Conclusions: Implementation of guidelines more effectively is crucial to prevent and reduce blood-borne disease transmission. Changing attitudes and behaviours towards recapping and safety-engineered devices is essential, as recapping needles continues to cause many BEAs.

Keywords: Blood exposure accidents; Dentistry; Infection control; Needlestick injuries; Occupational accidents; Oral healthcare workers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

LinkOut - more resources