Profile of dental students about biosafety

Abstract

Aim: The professional formation in Dentistry requires preparation and knowledge regarding the use of universal biosafety measures against exposure to infectious agents. This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge of dentistry students about biosafety, and identify the most frequent doubt about preventive measures in dental care environment, also assess the student’s interest by biosafety. Material and methods: The sample consisted of 358 students from three universities. A questionnaire with subjective and objective questions was applied to students at 1st, 5th and last periods. Results: It was observed that 92.6% of students knew the meaning of biosafety and 92.3% reported the use of PPE for their dentist and for the patient. When asked if they would know to take care in clinical environment, 291 (82.7%) students answered that they would know how to care and 59 (16.8%) not, 94.9% of the latter were students of the first period, in this group, 38.4% of students responded not be important to consider the patient as a potential transmitter of disease. In the total sample, 98.6% considered to be important the topic of the research. Conclusions: It was concluded that it is important introduce basic content on biosafety in the pre-clinical periods, aiming at the entry of students to the clinical activities more safely. It is emphasized the importance of supervision and periodic update of practices and knowledge about preventive measures facilitating the exercise of academic activities in safety at all course periods.