Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Chinese Dental Interns

BACKGROUND: Blood is frequently involved in dental treatment procedures, which increases the exposure of dentists to a variety of blood-borne pathogens and microorganisms such as Hepatitis B Virus. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to assess Chinese dental and medical interns’ knowledge, attitude and behavior (KAB) towards Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection and to evaluate which exact KAB phase respondents were involved in. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 313 fifth to eighth year students. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to identify correlations between KAB and the results obtained from different grades. RESULTS: Despite the fact that Chinese dental interns had good general knowledge level, they lacked the experience with active and artificial immunities against HBV. Graduates forgot basic knowledge and applied the methods without understanding the terms. Compared with the medical interns, dental interns were less willing to treat patients with HBV infection. All three required vaccination doses were received by a significant number of dental interns. However the frequency of antibody titer status check and the use of eye wear or face mask were not satisfying. CONCLUSIONS: It is therefore recommended that Chinese dental interns continue improving knowledge level, assume more positive attitude by accumulating clinical experience, and pay more attention to the overlooked procedures. The results of the current study can help the Chinese dental interns on theoretical studies and clinical practices regarding HBV.