The Protective Role of Front-Closed and Front-Open Gowns Against Staphylococcus Aureus Contamination of Dental Students before and after Restorative Treatments

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Due to the close contact with patients during dental treatments, dentists and those affiliated to the dental profession are at higher risk for various infections. Infection prevention in dentistry is an important topic that has gained more interest in recent years. PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the protective role of front-closed and front-open gowns against staphylococcus aureus contamination of dental students before and after restorative treatments. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Sixty male dental students performed the restorative treatments on the teeth of the patients in the front-closed and front-open gowns groups. Before and after the treatment, the wet sterile swab samples were collected from the students’ neck and anterior part of the chest. The samples simultaneously cultured on the blood agar and the Staphylococcus-specific medium using spread plate method. Finally, the colonies were counted within 24-48 hours. RESULTS: The mean of the total colony count increased in both groups of front-open (787.8 ± 88.91) and front-closed gowns (630 ±122.7), but the changes were significant only in the front-open gown group (p≤ 0.001). Compared to the front-closed gown group (430±71.08), the total colony count of staphylococcus aureus in the front-open gown group (490.3±62.5) was increased significantly (p≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: We confirmed that dental students occupationally exposed to the bacterial agents and even simple minor changes in gown could considerably decrease the contamination. Education about bacterial transmission, as well as infection prevention and control measures is necessary for dental students, especially when they participate in clinical practice.