Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive Practice regarding Hepatitis B Infection among Dental Students at Khyber College of Dentistry: A Cross-Sectional Study
Keywords:
Hepatitis, Dentistry, Preventive Practice, Attitude, HBVAbstract
Background: Hepatitis B is a highly contagious disease with a high prevalence in developing countries like Pakistan. Dentists are at an increased risk of acquiring Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection due to the nature of their work and their lack of knowledge regarding proper cross-infection control.
Objective: To assess knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices regarding HBV infection among Dental Students (DS) at Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD) and to determine the vaccination status of DS against HBV.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at KCD from August 2023 to September 2023. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among 177 students of all clinical years, i.e., 3rd year, 4th year, and interns, to collect data. Modified Bloom’s cutoff was used to assess the level of KAP. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.
Results: Out of 152 subjects, 61 (40.1%) were male and 91 (59.9%) were female. The majority of the participants had adequate knowledge (57.9%), a positive attitude (74%), and a medium level of practice (67.8%) against HBV. However, only half (50%) of the participants had proper knowledge about post-exposure protocol, and the majority (62.5%) of the participants were not vaccinated against HBV.
Conclusion: Overall knowledge was adequate, attitude was found to be positive, and a medium level of preventive practice was observed against HBV infection. HBV vaccination programs must be made mandatory in dental institutes, as the majority of participants were not vaccinated against HBV despite the high risk.
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