APPRAISAL OF BLOOD BORNE INFECTION AS AN OCCUPATIONAL RISK AMONG DENTISTS IN THE DENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES.

Introduction: Dental practitioners as other healthcare workers deal with a identified risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens like the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Aim: To find out the extent of awareness of dentists in El-Madinah El-Munawarah to the occupational risk of blood borne infection. Material and Method: A cross-sectional analytic study using a self-administered questionnaire will be distributed to (174) dentists in the various centres and hospitals in El-Madinah El-Munawarah. The questionnaire questions will be related to participants? nationality, age, and gender, where they are working in (private or governmental) and their awareness of blood-borne infection. Results: The results based on analysis of collected data show dentists have the knowledge about blood-borne disease had a good percentage of knowledge. About the potential routes of blood-borne infections in the dental setting, more than 70% of dentists have enough knowledge to protect themselves. Conclusion: Safer work practices and instrumentation and continued worker education, with particular reared to post-treatment handling of sharp dental instruments and equipment, may reduce occupational blood exposure among dentist.