Comparison of Compliance with Infection Control Practices Among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bioengineering Innovations in Global Dental Infection Control: Applications and Adaptations in Clinical Settings

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Dental practices pose a high risk of microbial contamination due to frequent exposure to bodily fluids like saliva and blood. Bioengineering innovations have emerged as vital tools to enhance infection control in dental settings. This review aims to assess the global applications and effectiveness of these innovations, particularly focusing on antimicrobial biomaterials, sterilization techniques, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted across major databases to identify studies from 2000 to 2024 that examined bioengineering technologies used in dental infection control. Inclusion criteria included studies focusing on antimicrobial materials, PPE, or novel sterilization technologies. Data extraction followed PRISMA guidelines, focusing on study design, dental settings, and clinical outcomes related to infection control.

RESULTS

Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, covering diverse geographical regions, including Italy, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and India. Antimicrobial agents like silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles, UV-C sterilization, and low-temperature plasma were found to significantly reduce microbial contamination. The pooled effect size across studies was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.41-1.82) with low heterogeneity (I² = 6.4%). However, barriers such as high costs and limited resource availability were highlighted, particularly in lower-income regions.

CONCLUSION

Bioengineering innovations show significant potential for enhancing infection control in dental settings worldwide. While the technologies offer improved safety and hygiene, challenges related to cost and accessibility persist. Further research is needed to explore cost-effective and scalable solutions, particularly in resource-limited settings.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The integration of bioengineering technologies in dental practices can significantly improve infection control measures, reducing microbial contamination and enhancing safety for both patients and healthcare workers. These innovations hold promise for global adaptation, particularly in response to emerging public health challenges.

Low attitude despite excellent knowledge in dental students on treating HIV/AIDS patients: Where are we lacking as educators?

BACKGROUND

To achieve the goal of the Malaysian National Strategic Plan for ending HIV/AIDS by 2030, holistic management of patients with HIV/AIDS is crucial. Dental students are integral part of the workforce in managing these patients. It is pertinent that the dental students have sufficient knowledge and a positive approach towards this disease. Therefore, it is crucial to gain insight into dental students' knowledge and attitude towards patients with HIV and improve them. The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention to improve dental students' knowledge and attitude towards patients with HIV/AIDS and to analyse the quality of teaching methods based on the results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A validated questionnaire consisting of HIV knowledge and attitude items were administered to year 3 and 4 dental students (n = 89) by convenience sampling method. An educational intervention was conducted with the aim of improving awareness and management of patients with HIV/AIDS in dental settings. After three weeks, a post-assessment questionnaire was administered. The effect of the intervention was analysed by paired t-test (P < 0.048) and Pearson correlation test.

RESULTS

The mean age of respondents was 22.2 years. Significant improvement in knowledge was seen with mean scores including pre-assessment (76.7%) and post-assessment (87.4%) indicating excellent knowledge scores. Although positive changes in attitude were noticed, they were not statistically significant. Negative correlation between knowledge and attitude was also reported (r = -0.303).

CONCLUSIONS

Education about HIV/AIDS is considered the most effective method to improve knowledge and attitude. The results demonstrated that the intervention had successfully increased the students' knowledge and brought in a change attitude where the expected changes were not statistically significant. To bridge this gap between knowledge and attitude, a step ahead of just imparting 'education' is required.

Monitoring compliance with the rules of antiseptics and decontamination by dental students at work

INTRODUCTION

Dental personnel are potentially exposed to pathogenic microorganisms, as well as to possible sources of infection. The same is true for dental students, for whom it is crucial to acquire knowledge on infection control and appropriate dental techniques during their training.

The Investigation of Clinical Guidelines and Standards on Infection Control in Specialized Dental Departments

Background: It is important to adhere to infection control measures in dental procedures due to direct contact with blood and saliva. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, regular surveillance is imperative to ensure adherence to the standards. This study aimed to assess the level of adherence to infection control guidelines in specialized dental clinics in different working shifts. Materials and Methods: This study was assessed the level of adherence of 45 selected dental departments to three main guidelines released by (I) the Center for Disease Control (CDC), (II) Ministry of Health (MOH), and (III) armed forces organization (AFO) in three different working shift. The CDC checklist had eight domains. Thus, the items of each domain were individually scored, and considering the weighting coefficient of each item, the total score was calculated. The same procedure was carried out for the two remaining guidelines. Possible effect of working shifts and different specialties on infection control practice was also calculated. Results: The mean rate of adherence was 70.7% to the CDC, 93.8% to the MOH and 84.4% to the AFO guidelines indicating that adherence to the CDC guidelines was lower than the other two domestic guidelines. Individual assessment of each item revealed that hand hygiene (39%) and safe handling and disposal of sharp instruments (46%) acquired the lowest, and sterilization (79%) and safe injection (97%) acquired the highest score according to the CDC checklist. There was no relationship between working shifts and dental specialties regarding the adherence to infection control standards. Conclusion: Dental clinics had different performances regarding infection control guidelines. Further emphasis should be placed on hand hygiene and disposal of sharp instruments.

Compliance to donning and doffing of personal protective equipment among dental healthcare practitioners during the coronavirus pandemic: a quality improvement plan, do, study and act (PDSA) Initiative

Introduction

With the emergence of SARS-Cov-2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined mandatory guidelines for donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) among dental healthcare professionals. The study’s objective was to improve the compliance of the donning and doffing protocols for PPE among dental practitioners by the Plan, Do, Study, and Act (PDSA) cycle.

Materials and methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on a sample of dental healthcare professionals using the non-probability purposive technique. In the first planning stage, compliance with CDC-approved donning and doffing was assessed on the clinical premises. In the second stage, an educational session was arranged with all the healthcare professionals to explain stepwise guidelines of donning and doffing to improve the quality of donning and doffing compliance. In the third stage, improvement in the quality outcome was then assessed after the session. Data were normally distributed. Qualitative variables for all the steps of donning and doffing are reported as frequency and percentages. Pareto charts were made to assess the non-compliance rate for donning and doffing protocols among dental healthcare professionals.

Results

There was an improvement of 44.55% in the hand hygiene practices before wearing the PPE after the second step of the PDSA cycle. A percentage improvement of 7.4% was recorded for removing jewellery, wearing the gown and wearing a surgical cap. No improvement was seen in securing the mask/ respirator ties, washing hands after wearing the respirator, placing the goggles or face shield practices.

Conclusions

PDSA cycle improved the overall compliance to PPE donning and doffing practices. Most of the protocols were followed by the dental healthcare professionals; however, some of them remained the same or worsened due to ease in SARS-CoV 2 restrictions.

COVID-19 and Saudi Arabia: Awareness, Attitude, and Practice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has transformed our appreciation of healthcare awareness worldwide. The amount of related data accumulated during this time has surpassed any other outbreak of a viral pathogen. Healthcare awareness is related to one of the nine pillars of the "World health organization (WHO) operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response". This review is structured around the awareness/knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)-related publications in Saudi Arabia up to date to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these domains. The excellent communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak is highlighted. Unraveling such impacts on the Saudi communities, including healthcare workers (HCWs)/professionals (HCPs), students, patients with different diseases, and non-professional individuals, is essential in containing the outbreak and planning preventive measures in case of future outbreaks.