What Do the Dental Students Know about Infection Control? A Cross-Sectional Study in a Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Dental students are exposed to various infections and infective sources during their training, and on this aspect, their level of knowledge is suboptimal and practices are risky. Therefore, improving their knowledge and practices would contribute significantly to infection control. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the level of understanding of senior dental students regarding the infection control in the dental practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students (3rd year and 4th year) of the Foundation University Dental College, Pakistan. The sample consisted of 100 third year dental students and 88 fourth year students. A self-administrated questionnaire was used for data collection which consisted of fourteen close-ended items. Frequencies of knowledge, attitudes, and practice were calculated separately by using SPSS 21.0 software. RESULTS: Almost half of the students would not use any antiseptic for sterilizing their hands, and only two-third would ask their patient to use an oral mouth rinse before starting the treatment. Many students did not the optimal temperature of the autoclave for sterilization of the instruments. Only one-third would wear the personal protective equipment during a procedure. Around one-third of the study participants reported that ineffective sterilization during clinical practice can transmit infection from one patient to another. CONCLUSION: Knowledge on infection control among the dental students is though weak, practices are not as per standards but attitudes are positive and encouraging for taking steps and complying with measures on infection control.