Hepatitis B awareness and attitudes among dental professionals in Central India

Autor: Aparajita D Shitoot, Mukta Motwani, Durga P Chamele, Abhinay P Shitoot, Jay Chamele, Akash Ghosh
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Vol 28, Iss 3, Pp 270-273 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0972-1363
0975-1572
DOI: 10.4103/0972-1363.195650
Popis: Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and awareness with regards to hepatitis B in dental health care professionals, and to estimate the efforts made by them to prevent the transmission of hepatitis among patients. This study also evaluated the immunization status of hepatitis B among dentists. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among dental professionals in Central India. A Predesigned questionnaire was given to assess the general awareness, attitude, and behavior toward hepatitis B infection and vaccination along with questions to evaluate their own immunization status. Results: A total of 424 dentists responded to the questionnaire. Among them, 24.05% had not received even a single dose of Hepatitis B vaccine while 50.48% had not completed the required course of vaccination. Most common reason cited by dentists for non-immunization was that they had not thought about it (66.03%). Ninety-six percent of the participants were aware of the Hepatitis-B vaccination programme. Conclusion: Despite the availability of an effective vaccine in the market, dentists continue to remain non-vaccinated. It is the lack of awareness and carelessness on the part of dentists coupled with the negligence of the risk that has led them being incompletely vaccinated. There is a need to ensure that every doctor is vaccinated against Hepatitis B before he/she enters professional practice.
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