Condutas do Cirurgião-Dentista Frente a Acidentes Biológicos

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.…”

“…Other studies demonstrated the same results for both working professionals and students, who demonstrate fear and negative tendencies toward HIV+ patients, as well as occasional discrimination [3][4][5][8][9][10][11][14][15][17][18]20 . What attracts particular attention in the findings of this study is the fact that students in semesters that have had little contact with the dental clinic, showed less apprehensive or fearful attitudes regarding the treatment of infected patients compared to students in more advanced semesters, of whom greater psychological preparation would be expected due to their greater practical experience.…”

“…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] .…”

“…Higher scores indicate that the student has good perception with regard to the risks involved when treating any patient, whether infected with HIV or not, the maximum score being 20 (10 x 2). Lower scores suggest poor perception Controlling infectious diseases is an aspect that deserves close attention in dentistry, due to both the environment in which a dental surgeon works (the oral environment, with its numerous microorganisms) and to the wide range of sharp instruments and invasive procedures, exposing the dentist to various infectious/ contagious diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis B and C, depending on factors including depth of the cut, the volume of potentially infectious fluid on dental instruments and the patient's viral load during seroconversion [8][9][10][11][12][13] . Therefore it is essential to seek and constantly update knowledge on occupational diseases to which the dental professional may be exposed, routes of infection, modes of transmission, bio-security standards, sterilization and disinfection of the materials used, proper disposal of waste, respect for the environment and on post-exposure measures.…”