Vaccination coverage and immunity against hepatitis B in public health dentists

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational exposure is a major risk factor for hepatitis B (HB) transmission. Methods: Vaccination coverage and immunity verification from 64 dentists of the Brazilian Unified Health System were investigated. An immunochromatographic method was used to verify immunity against the disease. Results: Overall, 77.77% of participating dentists completed the vaccination schedule; 37.50% had negative anti-HBs test results. Furthermore, 60.93% of participants never underwent anti-HBs tests and 40% did not know how to correctly interpret results. Conclusions: Numerous dentists were not immune to the disease. Few participants previously performed the test, with many not knowing how to interpret the results.