Knowledge of and attitudes about blood-borne viruses and infection control in Brazilian dental practice.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Knowledge of and attitudes about blood-borne viruses and infection control in Brazilian dental practice.

Oral Dis. 1996 Mar;2(1):41-4. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97116851
Jorge J; Jorge R; Almeida OP; Scully C; Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Odontology, Piracicaba; SP, Brazil.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there were any recent changes in hepatitis B immunisation of dental staff, infection control or understanding of viral infections in Brazilian dentists. DESIGN: A randomised survey was conducted on 740 dentists attending the National Dental Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1994. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 740 dentists were questioned as to the presence of various viruses in saliva, the perceived risks of dental staff and long-term sequelae, the availability and uptake of vaccines, willingness to treat virus-infected persons, and means of infection control. Nearly 69% of respondents were female dentists, of mean age 30 years. Results were compared with a similar survey from 1990. RESULTS: Most respondents knew that HIV and hepatitis viruses could appear in saliva and almost all knew of infective risks from hepatitis B (HBV), and the availability of the vaccine. Less than half knew of the association of HBV with liver cancer. There was a four-fold increase in those vaccinated against HBV since the low figure of 9% in 1990. Nearly two-thirds of respondents perceived an occupational risk to dental staff from HIV, and a similar proportion were also unwilling to treat virus-infected persons. A similar proportion also used chemical disinfection for some dental instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The results show little improvement over a 4-year period except a much greater proportion of dentists were immunised against HBV. However, still only one third of dentists had been vaccinated, in a country with a high prevalence of infection in the general population.

Keywords: Adult *Attitude of Health Personnel *Blood-Borne Pathogens Brazil Comparative Study Dental Care for Chronically Ill/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA Dentistry Dentists/*PSYCHOLOGY Female Hepatitis Viruses Human HIV Infection Control, Dental/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Male Occupational Exposure Questionnaires Refusal to Treat Vaccination/UTILIZATION JOURNAL ARTICLE
970228
M9721924

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