Awareness and experience in needle stick injuries among dental students at the University of Nairobi, Dental Hospital

Abstract

Background: Needle stick injuries (NSI) are the commonest route by which blood borne viruses and/or infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C are transmitted from patients to health care workers (HCW). Dental students are also at risk of such infections and injuries due to accidental contamination during their practical occupational exposure. There is hardly any information regarding the knowledge and experiences of NSI among dental students in Kenya. Objective: To determine the knowledge and experiences of NSI among dental students at the University of Nairobi Dental Hospital (UONDH). Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting: University of Nairobi Dental Hospital premises. The population included undergraduate and postgraduate dental students pursuing their degrees at the university. Results: Seventy two questionnaires were issued and a response rate of 62(81%) was achieved. The age of the respondents ranged from 21-35 years with a mean age of 24 years (SD± 4.7) years. There were 33(53%) males and 29(47%) females. Most of the students were undergraduates (87%) while the rest were postgraduate students (13%). The majority (97%) of the respondents reported that NSI was a means of cross-infection. Only 29% of the respondents had suffered NSI. Of those who had suffered NSI, 36% of the incidents occurred when administering local anaesthesia, while 23% were during scaling, 18% when recapping needles, 18% while clearing up and 5% when suturing. Only seven of those who had suffered NSI (39%) had reported of NSI. The reasons for not reporting were: fear of stigmatisation (25%) or the fear of consequences of crossinfection (38%). All the respondents who had experienced NSI were undergraduates with no statistical significant difference between the undergraduate and postgraduate students (X 2 =3.758, p=0.052). Among the respondents who had experienced NSI, nine were males and nine were females with no statistical significance between the two genders (X 2 =0.106, p=0.48l). All the respondents recorded inadequate knowledge on the modes of prevention of NSI. Less than half (27%) of the respondents had accurate knowledge on the procedure followed in case of NSI. Only 27% of the respondents had taken post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after suffering NSI with no statistically significant difference between males and females (X 2 =44, p=0.108). Conclusion: Although the level of knowledge on the risk of cross-infection from NSI was high, there was decreased awareness on the means of prevention and protocol.

Knowledge, risk perception and attitudes of Dentistry students with regard to HIV/AIDS

“…However, the more advanced semesters, as might be presumed, showed better risk perception than those less advanced, as students in the latter stages are just beginning to form their perceptions of risk. The same result has been described in other studies 2,[9][10][11][14][15][21][22] . In contrast, research performed by Jafari et al 23 demonstrated that students in the final years of an Iranian university's dentistry course showed good risk perception regarding the prevention and transmission of HIV due to their constant contact with sick patients, since these students helped out in a care center for patients with diseases.…”

“…This was also shown in the research conducted by Lima et al 2 , the only difference being the percentage of occupational accidents affecting dental students (59.5%). Likewise, other studies showed higher percentages 9,15,21 , however yet others showed results inferior to those of the present study 8,13 , with sharps injuries being the biggest culprits in occupational accidents in dentistry. As for post-accident measures, it may be inferred from this study that students have not been properly instructed or do not seek to apply the knowledge they have acquired, as only 12% filled in the biological accident notification forms and only 16% asked for the source-patient's serology.…”

“…As for post-accident measures, it may be inferred from this study that students have not been properly instructed or do not seek to apply the knowledge they have acquired, as only 12% filled in the biological accident notification forms and only 16% asked for the source-patient's serology. Other studies in the literature also revealed poor adherence to postexposure protocols and unsatisfactory knowledge in this regard 2,9,10,[21][22] .…”

Incidence of Needlestick Injuries in Oral Surgery Clinic among Dental Students: A Retrospective Study

“…In contrast, Jaber 3 reported NSIs in only 23% of dental students in their study of 230 students, and among these injuries, 26% injuries occurred while recapping of the needles. Furthermore, a study by Mungure et al 10 found NSIs in 29% of the dental students. In the present study, almost all the participants had habit of recapping the needles after use, and around 60% of subjects were vaccinated against hepatitis B.…”

The impact of occupational splash, sharps and needlestick injuries (SSNIs) on the quality of life of healthcare workers in a Kenyan university hospital

“…Makhoka [13], estimated a non-reporting rate of about 40% in the hospital involved in this study. Studies elsewhere in the world show that 35% to 62% of SSNIs are not reported [14,15,16,17]. This is important to HCWs in this study because they are at greater risk because of the high prevalence of BBPs in the general population in sub-Saharan African countries.…”