Prevalence of Percutaneous Injuries among Dentists in Palestine: A Cross Sectional Study

Hakam Rabi¹, Tarek Rabi^2, and Emad Qirresh¹

¹Department of oral radiology and diagnosis, Al Quds University Palestine

²Department of Operative Dentistry, Al Quds University, Palestine

Cite this paper:
Hakam Rabi, Tarek Rabi and Emad Qirresh. Prevalence of Percutaneous Injuries among Dentists in Palestine: A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Dental Sciences and Research. 2017; 5(1):9-12. doi: 10.12691/ijdsr-5-1-3

Abstract

Dentistry is a profession which commonly deals with contact of secretions from the oral cavity. Percutaneous injuries can further accentuate the dentist’s risk for diseases such Hepatitis B and HIV. Hence we conducted a study which aimed to assess the prevalence of percutaneous injuries and the associated factors among dentists. A total of 300 dentists from Palestine were requested for an online survey regarding percutaneous injuries, among which 201 dentists responded. Demographic data, Hepatitis B vaccination status, use of personal protective barriers and incidences of percutaneous injuries from dental instruments were assessed. The prevalence of percutaneous injuries was 90% among the dentists. 97.5% of the dentists were vaccinated against Hepatitis B. However, only 87% had received all the three recommended doses. Percutaneous injury was more common with probes/ explorers, endodontic files and needles in the decreasing order, accounting to 31.3%, 31% and 26.6% respectively. Hence the study showed that the prevalence of percutaneous injuries was high among dentists and it is necessary to emphasize the importance of personal protective barriers and vaccination against Hepatitis B.

Keywords:
injuries hepatitis dental injuries perceutanous

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