Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the awareness and practice of infection control procedures among dental surgeons in the private dental hospital.Methods: This is an observational study conducted among thirty dental surgeons working in a private dental hospital in Gwalior, (M.P.) to evaluate the management policies and procedures associated with infection control and instrument decontamination. The doctors were indirectly interviewed by self-administered questionnaire consisted of twenty-one questions regarding the availability of infection control materials, use of personal protective devices, techniques of hand washing, sterilization methods, control of aerosols, status of immunization, asking about medical history, routine documentation of needle-prick injuries, methods of waste segregation etc. The study group was selected regardless of sex, age and field of expertise. This study was done in two weeks and in this time frame self-administered, pre-structured questionnaire was offered to professionals.Results: In this study it was found that although 95% of doctor’s wear gloves but only 6.6% doctors use protective eyewear and 3.3% use gowns for protection. The most of the doctor’s use soap bars for hand washing which is also not a good infection control practice method. There are only 10% doctors who use high-volume-evacuator but most of the time available evacuator is not in working state. Not a single doctor used rubber dam. Out of thirty 74% use gluteraldehyde, 67% use sodium hypochlorite, 54% use phenolic compounds as a surface disinfectant. Most of the doctors use non-sterilized hand pieces, burs, impression trays etc.Conclusions: The infection control actions implemented by dental surgeons were far from ideal. Efforts are needed to improve attitudes, encourage implementation, raise awareness, promote regular updating courses and motivate dental professionals in the correct and routine use of infection control measures. Apart from this, it is also important to improve the hospital management system.

For pt.I see T. Kaura, R. Nath and M.M. Perlman, ibid., vol.24, p.1848 (1991). Copolymer films of 75/25 and 50/50 mol.% poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluorethylene) P(VDF-TriFE) are simultaneously stretched and corona poled (SSCP) in batch mode at elevated temperatures. When poled under optimum conditions, the 75/25 films yield a piezo-electric constant d31 approximately 48 pC N-1 and a pyro-electric constant p approximately 5 nC cm-2 K-1, at 30 degrees C. Both of these values are about 1.7 times those reported for films that were poled after stretching and agree with previously predicted, but until now unobserved, maxima. A 'frozen-in' stress limits the beta phase content and hence the piezo- and pyro-activity in normally drawn films. Drawing at elevated temperatures during SSCP raises the yield level, and hence the ultimate activity. The stability of d31 was also improved by SSCP. The authors postulate that there is a contribution of ferroelectric domain rotation in these SSCP films. X-rays show that they have an enhanced beta phase over those that were poled after stretching. The 50/50 films yield roughly the same activities (d31 approximately 35-40 pC N-1 and p approximately 4.8 nC cm-2 K-1 at 30 degrees C) whether poled during or after stretching, in agreement with the maximum values obtained by others and predicted by the authors. A good correlation with dipole moment was found amongst the activities of the copolymers and 100% PVDF.

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