Abstract
Background: Proper and timely post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after needle stick exposure to high-risk body fluids significantly
reduces occupational transmission.
Objectives: This study was conducted with the aim of demonstrating the level of knowledge and practice amongst general dental
practitioners in Hamadan city, Iran in 2013 - 14, in terms of prevention after dealing with blood-borne pathogens.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all general dental practitioners in Hamadan provided information
on their preventative approach after dealing with blood-borne pathogens, via a pretested self-administered questionnaire in
three parts. The first part consisted of demographic features, the second part (15 questions) demonstrated knowledge level, and the
last part (5 questions) measured dentists’ practice in terms of prevention after dealing with blood-borne pathogens. Data from the
82 questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS 16 software, Mann-Whitney, and chi-square test (α = 0.05).
Results: The mean score of knowledge was 7.9 ± 2.522 (from a possible total score of 15). The lowest and highest scores were 2 and
14. 60.7% of the dentists had trained their staff; 58.8% of them accepted infected patients, and 65.9% had attended a PEP workshop.
It was found that, of the demographic features, only gender had a significant correlation with level of knowledge (P = 0.0001).
Conclusions: This study revealed a low level of knowledge and practice regarding post-exposure prophylaxis, with the mean score
of some respondents being below 50%.