Dentists' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS in Sanandaj, Iran

25Citations
Citations of this article
146Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers including physicians, dentists, nurses and laboratory workers are considered to be among the groups at the risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of dentists regarding infection control and basic principles. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 106 dentists in Sanandaj, Iran. The dentists' KAP regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV/AIDS were evaluated. Chi-square test, student's t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to assess differences between the groups. Data were analyzed in Stata 12. Results: The results showed that the majority of the subjects in the study population (53.8%) were female. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) for age and work experience was 39.6 ± 9.80 and 10.6 ± 8.7 years, respectively. The mean ± SD for knowledge, attitude and practices of participants was 37.3 ±?3.01, 22.9 ± 4.80 and 24.07 ± 5.06, respectively. The results also indicated that dentists' higher level of knowledge about HBV, HCV and HIV/AIDS was significantly influenced by work experience (≥10 years; P < 0.001) and graduation year (after 2006: P < 0.001). Positive attitude towards HBV, HCV and HIV/AIDS was considerably influenced by age group (< 30 years: P = 0.021), work experience (≥10 years: P < 0.001), and workplace (dental office: P = 0.016). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated a satisfactory level of knowledge and attitude of dentists about HBV, HCV and HIV/AIDS infections, but some gaps were observed, suggesting that higher knowledge level of dentists plays a very important role in forming the attitudes and practices regarding patients with HBV, HCV and HIV/AIDS.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Rostamzadeh, M., Afkhamzadeh, A., Afrooz, S., Mohamadi, K., & Rasouli, M. A. (2018). Dentists’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS in Sanandaj, Iran. BMC Oral Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-018-0685-1

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free