Attitudes and practices of infection control among senior dental students at college of dentistry, university of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance, awareness and practices of infection control procedures among senior dental students at the College of Dentistry, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study comprised of 119 subjects of 4(th) and 5(th) year dental students. A questionnaire was developed with 25 open and closed-ended questions related to barrier techniques, vaccination status, infection control practices and awareness. This was distributed among the senior dental students and completed upon signing the consent form. Each questionnaire was coded to ensure the confidentiality of responses. RESULTS The questionnaire was distributed among 223 senior dental students at the University of Sharjah of which only 119 students (53%) responded. Compliance with the use of protective barriers was high with the exception of protective eye wear, utilized by a mere 27% of students. There was a significant difference between 4(th) and 5(th) year dental students' attitudes (P < 0.05) regarding the treatment of patients with infectious diseases. Compared with 44.4% of the 5(th) year students, 68.5% of the 4(th) year students did not mind treating patients with infectious diseases. Owing to this, 61.9% of the 5(th) year students suffered from non-sterile percutaneous and mucous membrane exposures compared with 44.6% of the 4(th) year students (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Efforts are needed to improve attitudes, implement information and motivate students in the correct and routine use of infection control measures. With all infection control protocols already implemented in dental schools, the challenge remains on improving compliance with infection control recommendations.