Factors Influencing Compliance with Infection Control Practice in Japanese Dentists

BACKGROUND: In recent years, dentists have more opportunity of treating patients infected with blood-borne pathogens. Although compliance with infection control practice (ICP) in dental practice is required, it is not still sufficiently spread in Japan. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with compliance with ICPs in the population of Japanese dentists. METHODS: In a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study in 2009, 2134 dentists in Aichi prefecture, Japan, were surveyed. They were asked for their demographic characteristics, willingness to treat HIV/AIDS patients, and knowledge about universal/standard precautions and ICP. RESULTS: Many ICP items had significant association with age, specialty for oral surgery, number of patients treated per day, willingness to treat HIV/AIDS patients and knowledge about the universal/standard precautions. In logistic regression model, knowledge about the precautions had significant associations with all ICP items. Among participants with disadvantageous characteristic group for ICP (ie, age ≥50 years, being general dentist, and treating ≤35 patients/day), knowledge about the universal/standard precautions had greater impact on exchanging handpiece for each patient and installing extra-oral vacuum in those with age of ≥50 years than in those who visited ≤35 patient per day. CONCLUSION: Knowledge about the meaning of universal/standard precautions is the most significant predictor of compliance with ICPs among Japanese dentists.