Cross Infection Control in Impression Making Procedures – A Pilot Survey

Abstract

Dental care professionals are at high risk of cross infection while treating patients. This occupational potential for disease transmission becomes evident when it is considered that most human microbial pathogens have been isolated from oral secretion. The present survey was conducted with the aim of investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of dental staff and students toward cross-infection control during the procedure of impression making. A questionnaire consisting of 16 questions was designed to assess the details of Impression and disinfection, including how impressions were disinfected. The questionnaire was pilot tested initially, to check for content and administrative aspects, by sending it to the dental staff and students of a dental college in Tamil Nadu. A total of 163 respondents completely filled the questionnaire. The majority of the response was from dental students (87.1%) and the remainder was from the B.D.S and M.D.S. staff with 4.3 and 8.6%, respectively. The percentage frequencies of male and female respondents are 30.1 and 69.9% respectively. The results showed that out of these 163 respondents, “when asked about the material used for making primary impressions, majority of the respondents used Alginate for making primary impressions (89.6%). More than half or 54.6% of the respondents said that if the impression was not disinfected, there was no need to disinfect the stone cast. The results of the present study showed that the knowledge of dental students and staff is insufficient about infection control procedures. A stress should be laid in the curriculum of students about the knowledge of cross-infection control.