Evaluation of Awareness of Dentists about Viral Hepatitis and Aids

Objective: Viral infections, specially HBV, HCV, HDV and HIV are debilitating transmittable diseases which can be spread easily by dental instruments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of awareness of general dentists about these issues in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: Fifty dentists (18 female and 32 male) were selected by random sampling. A questionnaire which contained 15 questions that was related to these viruses was prepared. All dentists answered to the questionnaire. All data were collected and scored from 0-100. Results: We analyzed data by t-test. The mean of awareness score was 40± 8.9. The mean average of awareness of female dentists was higher than male dentists, but there was no significant statistically difference between them. The maximum scores were 60 for male and 50 for m female dentists. The minimum scores were 15 for male and 20 and female dentists. There was not significant relationship between age, sex, duration of practice and dentists awareness. (p>0.05) Conclusion: This research revealed that the level of awareness of general dentists is lower than we expected. That showed more postgraduate educational programs are necessary for this group.