Evaluation of Infection Control in Dental Offices in Hamadan in ۲۰۱۰

Statement of the Problem: The incidence of infectious diseases is considerably high among dentists and the team of dental care providers because of frequent exposure to blood and saliva. Therefore, infection control regulations must be taken seriously in order to prevent crosscontamination. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate infection control measures in dental offices in Hamadan, Iran in ۲۰۱۰. Materials and methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, ۷۷ general and ۵۴ specialized dental offices provided information in terms of the level of infection control measures. The information was obtained via observation and questionnaire. The questionnaire was compiled in eight sections, including the environmental safety and building characteristics, the dental unit, the accessories, instruments, materials, environmental protection, personal protection and infection control behaviors and disposing the wastes. Data were analyzed using chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and comparisons were made between the general and specialized dental offices. Results: Infection control statuses in the general and specialized dental offices in relation to the dental unit were ۲۳.۰۹% and ۷۶.۲۲%; in relation to instruments they were ۶۷.۳۴% and ۹۵.۵۷%; and in relation to personal protection they were ۵۸.۵۰% and ۶۴.۴۲%, respectively. Infection control measures revealed significant differences between the general and specialized offices in relation to all the aspects except the personal protection measures (P<۰.۰۵). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that specialized offices were more successful in implementing infection control measures; however, there is room for improvement and further education and supervision is required to reach the optimum level of standards.