Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Hepatitis Bvaccination among Iranian dentists

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a serious blood-borne disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) which attacks the liver. It is the most common serious liver infection in the world and the virus is considered the major public health problem globally. Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the current situation regarding hepatitis B virus vaccination, and to evaluate the attitude and preventive measures against HBV such as related vaccination and use of barrier techniques among Iranian dentists. Material and Methods: A confidential, self-administered questionnaire was distributed among two regional congresses including three hundred fifty dentists. The obtained data was entered to the personal computer using the Epi Info computer program after which it was transferred to the SPSS, version 15, and the program for analysis right after. Univar ate analyses were performed using Chi-Square test. T-test was also used wherever appropriate. Result: One hundred sixty eight of the respondents had their complete vaccination series, giving an immunization rate of 48.1%. 11 (3.1%) respondents had incomplete vaccination and 171(48.8%) had absolutely no vaccination at all (Fig. 1). Reasons for none-vaccinated group included: high cost (7.2%), insensitivity and ignorance to the risks (45.8), non-availability of vaccines (19.5%), inertia (22%), pregnancy (1.2%) and fear of complication (2.4%). 97.5% of the dentists reported routine use of gloves and 70.6% routine use of masks. 61.3% of the respondents also reported using protective garment constantly and 44.4% of dentists reported routine use of eye wear. Conclusion: It is essential to improve rate of hepatitis B vaccination among Iranian dentists and to encourage regular use of barrier techniques