Assessment Of Cross Infection Preventive Measures At A Dental Hospital In Lucknow City – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Cross-infection can be defined as the transmission of infectious agents between patients and staff within a clinical environment. In a dental setup, transmission occurs through air, blood, saliva droplets, or improper sterilization of instruments. Despite various standardized protocols in infection control, dental undergraduate students fail to obey the same. Hence, the present study was conducted with an aim to assess cross infection preventive measures among undergraduate students of a dental college in Lucknow city.  Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, closed ended questionnaire was prepared and distributed among interns, final-year and 3^rd-year students in a dental college. The questionnaire comprised of 18 awareness based questions that includes knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cross infection preventive measures among undergraduate dental students. The Chi‑square test was used to compare the results. Results: Out of 342 dental students, 38.9% students always preferred to change mouth masks between patients. 79% 3^rd year, 43% final year and 53.8% intern students used to practice regular sterilization of instruments before sending it to laboratories. Conclusion: Awareness regarding infection control measures among undergraduate dental students was not deemed sufficient. Dental colleges should set up an infection control program before the commencement of clinical studies in the third year which should be periodically revised for improved understanding and long term effect establishment.