Identification of preventive care against hepatitis b and c among dentists at Recife city

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the preventive care the dentists have carried out against hepatitis B and C, broaching specially the topics of immunization and measures taken to minimize the risk of occupational exposition to potentially contaminated biological material, including the use of individual protection equipment (IPE). An inquiry was conducted with 319 dentists living at Recife-PE, Brazil, using a self administered questionnaire. After the data collection, the analysis was obtained through techniques of descriptive statistics. The adhesion to the use of IPE was high, and varied according to the equipment. Among the participants, 30,2% reported never having recapped needles with both hands and 98,4% said they received the vaccine against hepatitis B, although 79,3% received the three doses. Regarding to perforating-cutting trauma, they were reported by 71,5% of the dentists. It was demonstrated that, the IPE are very often used by the dentists. Although the vaccinal cover detected illustrates an increase in comparison to previous studies, educational efforts remain necessary to spread it even more.