Amna Maqbool, Katrina A Ronis.
Assessment of Infection Control: Knowledge and Compliance among Dental Undergraduate Students at Nishtar Institute of Dentistry, Multan.
Pak J Public Health Jan ;6(3):1-6.

Background: Dental Professionals are vulnerable to infectious diseases in their working environment due to repeated exposure to a variety of microorganisms present in blood and saliva. Dental students who are learning new techniques are at a higher risk of acquiring and spreading infections, which requires stringent implementation and compliance with infection control guidelines. This study aimed to gain greater insight and understanding regarding the knowledge and practices of dental students to improve compliance to infection control guidelines and therefore enhance the quality of care in undergraduate dentistry training. Methods: In this cross sectional study (with a quantitative approach) convenience sampling was utilized at a public teaching hospital in Multan. One hundred and two (n= 102) students, (50 from 3rd year and 52 students from 4th year) completed a self administered questionnaire comprised of 4 sections regarding socio demographic data, immunization status and past history of exposure, knowledge and attitude regarding infection control precautions and adherence to infection control practices. Data was analyzed with SPSS 20 and significance level was set at P< 0.05. Results: Knowledge regarding the spread of infections and infection control was good and the majority of the students agreed that standard guidelines and additional precautionary measures need to be adopted. While the majority of students (70.6%) had been vaccinated against hepatitis, less than half of them had completed 3 doses of vaccination and only 18.6% have been assessed for anti-HBV. Most of the dental students reported that they were not satisfied with infection control training at their institute. Practice of using of Personal Protective Equipment (56.9%) was lagging behind the awareness (77.5%) regarding barrier techniques. Conclusion: Although the students had good knowledge regarding infection control, the compliance and practice levels regarding the same were relatively low. Such findings highlight the need of continued infection control education. Compliance with infection control guidelines can be made better by refreshing and upgrading students' knowledge through seminars or lectures on standard infection control guidelines each academic year.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com