Infection Control Practices among Dental Professionals in Shiraz Dentistry School, Iran

Background: To assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice among Iranian dental healthcare professionals towards standard isolation precautions in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey which was conducted on 152 Iranian dental professionals (faculty and students) from School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. A self-administered questionnaire containing three parts (knowledge, attitude, and practice) was distributed to the participants. After validation of the survey, data were collected and analyzed. Results: The survey was completed by 152 (51.5%) of 295 potential respondents. The mean±SD scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards standard isolation precautions were 6.71±0.99, 34.99±4.47, and 4.97±2.17 from the maximum scores of 9, 45, and 9, respectively. In addition, a positive linear correlation was found between the two items of the survey including knowledgeattitude (r= 0.394, P< 0.001), and attitude and practice (r= 0.317, P<0.001). Conclusion: Practice of standard isolation precautions is poor among dental professionals in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. This study showed that knowledge of infection control measures and a positive attitude towards them alone does not have an impact on adherence to recommendations.