Knowledge of, compliance with and attitudes towards, infection control routines in dental practice: a survey among dental students and dental faculty members in North-West Russia

Abstract

Infections are among the most significant healthcare problems in terms of the global perspective. Its increasing burden on healthcare settings may lead to a higher prevalence of antibiotic resistance, increased morbidity, and mortality among the patients who admit to health care institutions. Several antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), which is known to have emerged as a consequence of inadequate antibiotic use, may result in severe healthcare-associated infections. Considering the effectiveness of standard precautions in reducing infection spread, as well as lack of national guidelines for infection control and high prevalence of MRSA carriage in Russia, this master thesis aimed to assess knowledge of, compliance with and attitudes towards, infection control routines in dental practice and its associations with socio-demographic and MRSA-related characteristics among Russian dental students and dental faculty members.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental faculty students and members in NSMU. A self-administered questionnaire comprised of 27 close-ended questions was distributed via e-mail, opened for participation in the study in the period of April through December 2019. The questionnaire was composed of two domains, separately assessing knowledge, as well as compliance and attitudes. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS software, ver. 26.

Results: A total of 127 participants attended the survey. Most of the participants were female (75.6%) students in their clinical practice (84.2%), aging 17-24 years (82.7%). The best knowledge was revealed on topics regarding wearing of gloves, respondents’ opinion on what the most effective infection control measure is, and hand washing. The best compliance and attitude was revealed towards topics regarding hand hygiene, as well as the use of protective wear, including gloves, face mask and face shield/goggles.

Conclusion: Most of the dental students and dental faculty members at the NSMU, Arkhangelsk, North-West Russia reported intermediate knowledge of, good compliance with and attitudes towards, infection control routines in dental practice. These results highlight the need of national or regional guidelines for infection control routines in dental practice in Russia.