Document Type : مقاله‌های پژوهشی

Authors

• Narges Naghsh ¹
• Faranak Jalalian ²
• Jaber Yaghini ³
• Mohammad Reza Esmaeili ⁴

¹ Assistant Professor, Dental Implants Research Center, Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

² Specialist at Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Dental Implants Research Center, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

³ Associated Professor, Dental Implants Research Center, Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

⁴ Dental Student, Student Research Committee, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: During dental procedures there is a chance for exposure to infectious agents for both the dental team and the patient. AIDS and hepatitis viruses are the most dangerous and most common infectious agents in contemporary societies. Therefore, all the dental personnel, especially nurses, should be aware of the principles of infection control. The present study evaluated the knowledge and performance of dental nurses in Isfahan in the face of these two diseases.
Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional/analytical study, 155 dental nurses working in offices, private or public clinics or the dental school were selected using cluster and easy sampling techniques. A questionnaire containing 20 questions on performance and 17 questions on knowledge was given to each of nurse. Then the questionnaires were collected and the data were analyzed with independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA and LSD tests (α = 0.05).
Results: The mean knowledge and performance scores were 6.79 ± 3.15 and 78.36 ± 12.53, respectively. There was a moderate and significant relationship between the mean scores of knowledge and performance (p value < 0.001, r = 0.318). The mean scores of knowledge in female and male subjects were 7.4 and 4.8, respectively. The mean performance scores of female and male subjects were 79.2 and 75.6, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the knowledge and performance of the subjects were moderate and good, respectively. Therefore, continuous training programs seem necessary to increase knowledge and awareness of nurses about these two diseases.
Key words: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Hepatitis, Knowledge.