Knowledge, Awareness And Practices Regarding Hand Hygiene Among Dental Students

Abstract

Hand hygiene is of significant importance for the prevention of healthcare associated infections. There is a need to explore the concept of hand hygiene among the undergraduate  dental students.  The five moments that call for the use of hand hygiene include the moment before touching a patient, before performing aseptic and clean procedures, after being at risk of exposure to body fluids, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings. This concept has been aptly used to improve understanding, training, monitoring, and reporting hand hygiene among healthcare workers. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, awareness and practice of hand hygiene among dental students.  

Materials and methods:

This study was a cross sectional study, conducted among 100 undergraduate dental students belonging to third year, final year of study. Nine closed-ended questions were  circulated online and the data was statistically analysed using SPSS software. Statistical analysis was done using Chi square tests.

Results:

From the results obtained, it is evident  81% of the students were aware about the hand hygiene protocol , 66% of the students  have received formal training regarding hand hygiene , 68% of the students followed proper hand hygiene protocol and 51% of students felt that gloves do not eliminate the need for handwashing.

Conclusion:

Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that dental students were well aware about the hand hygiene protocol and its importance. Among the study population females were more aware about  hand hygiene protocol and its importance than the males. However, hand hygiene practices to be followed and awareness must be created to a larger population of students.