Risk Of Cross-infection Research Articles

Tratamento endodôntico em sessão única em dentes com lesão apical: relato de caso

Endodontics is a branch of dentistry responsible for treating the inside of the teeth through endodontic treatment. One of the main objectives of endodontic treatment is to guide the root canal system to a clean place, consequently eliminating microorganisms, providing the cure of the infection and later restoring the function of the tooth. Endodontic treatment performed correctly is successful in the long term regardless of the number of sessions, therefore, endodontic treatment in a single session is a great alternative due to the saving of operative time, lower risk of infiltrations, shorter time to resume function of the tooth in the stomatognathic system, reduced risk of cross-infection and reduced drug administration to patients who need antibiotic prophylaxis. The success of the root canal treatment will depend on the infection control through the correct cleaning and modeling of the canals, the filling of the same through the obturation and all the care to be executed and not the medication used between sessions. Thus, the objective of this work is to report the effectiveness of endodontic treatment in a single session through a clinical case report of a patient with a large periapical lesion in elements 21 and 22.

Intelligent generation method of infection risk map and management system in hospital waiting room for respiratory infectious diseases

Respiratory infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, pose significant risks to public health safety through airborne transmission. This study aims to explore methods for controlling airborne infection risk in waiting rooms, a hotspot for cross-infection. A database of 990 samples was established by integrating the results of computational fluid dynamics and social force model simulations into the Wells-Riley equation. We introduced two indicators, Pr (Particle Removal Efficiency) and Hr (High-risk Area Ratio), to evaluate the cleanliness performance of waiting room spaces. Additionally, the Sci (Space Cleanliness Index) was proposed as a criterion for evaluating architectural designs and fine-tuning fresh air system operational parameters. We also unveiled the mapping relationship between spatial morphology parameters and ventilation design parameters in relation to the cleanliness performance of waiting rooms. An infection-risk prediction proxy model was established based on machine learning methods, suitable for rapid prediction of spatial infection risks in waiting rooms and optimization of fresh air system operational parameters. The findings can be applied to the selection of hospital design schemes and the optimization of ventilation operational control strategies, aiding in strengthening infectious disease control and reducing the public health safety risks of cross-infection from respiratory infections during peak seasons in hospitals.

Design of hospitals for the post-pandemic era: an international survey of design professionals on infection control design strategies

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic placed unpreceded stress on healthcare systems, highlighting their deficiencies and vulnerabilities. The risk of cross-infection among patients and healthcare workers increased significantly, hindering the overall healthcare process. Hospital design should meet the challenges that will be posed by future pandemics, especially infection control. This paper reports on the results of an online survey for healthcare design professionals and academics from across the globe. The questionnaire addressed how hospital design can contribute to the infection control during future pandemic situations. Respondents agreed that the benefits of designing hospitals to meet the needs of pandemic/emergency situations outweigh the additional cost, and that infection control should play a more pronounced role when designing hospitals for the coming era. Results indicate that the overall organization of hospitals should allow for the compartmentation of critical/isolation departments/units and the creation of separate circulation routes to suit this compartmentation during pandemic times. The circulation system of the emergency departments and Intensive Care Units (ICU) should allow for the separation of infectious patients from others during pandemic times. 20–30% of the ICU beds of tertiary level care hospitals should be designed as single patient rooms. 53% of these rooms should be easily convertible to Air-Borne-Infection Isolation (AII) rooms, 44% should have an additional space for adding anterooms during pandemics, and 55% of these rooms should have permanent storage spaces for Personal Protective Equipment. The inpatient units should also be designed to support infection control. AII rooms should be grouped in designated inpatient units.

Simulation-Based Enhancement of Patient Safety During Intrahospital Transport of Trauma Patients With COVID-19: A Helipad Scenario.

Trauma resulting from accidents, violence, or war claims over five million lives annually, with traffic accidents and falls being predominant causes. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges in trauma care. Even though the number of injuries decreased during the lockdown period, the transportation of trauma patients became even more challenging due to concerns aboutinfection control and the need for enhanced protective measures. This simulation workshop was conducted in a controlled environment to test and refine protocols for the safe transport of trauma patients with COVID-19. Our goal was to develop comprehensive guidance on the intrahospital transportation of these patients, ensuring the highest level of patient care and safety. We detail a five-step approach from preparation to the pre-landing, initial assessment, patient transfer, and patient handover phases, emphasizing adherence to protocols, equipment readiness, and personal protective equipment (PPE) use. The primary issues we encountered were related to time management, the decision-making process for applying lifesaving procedures in an open environment, and the risk of cross-infection. The workshop underscored the importance of swift and coordinated care, balancing life-saving interventions with efficient transport to a definitive care facility.

Effectiveness of respiratory protective equipment in reducing inhalation and contact exposure risks of dental workers during ultrasonic scaling

The high-concentration droplets produced from ultrasonic scaling treatments may carry many pathogens. The close contact between dental workers and patients significantly amplifies their exposure risk to these droplets. Although various types of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) are utilized by dental workers during treatments, their effectiveness in reducing the risks associated with inhalation and contact exposure remains uncertain. In this study, computational fluid dynamics technology was employed to investigate the impact of RPE type, surgery duration, air changes per hour (ACH), and air distribution on the risks related to inhalation and deposition exposure. The results revealed that wearing masks considerably reduced the risk of inhalation exposure for dental workers, with a decrease in inhalation fractions from 25.3 ppm (without RPE) to 1.3–4.5 ppm (with RPE). Combining blue surgical masks and face shields decreased the risk of inhalation fraction by 5% compared to wearing no RPE. Notably, there was over 60% of spray droplets landed on the patient's head; however, only approximately 5%, 6%, 8%, and 3% were deposited on the patient's body, doctor's body, floor, and dental chair, respectively. Increasing ventilation from 3 to 9 ACH decreased dental workers' inhalation fraction by 9.8 ppm. Type III (with the inlet and outlet at opposite walls) decreased the suspension fraction by 4.3% compared with Type II (with the inlet and outlet at the same wall) while achieving a near-zero inhalation fraction of dental workers. These findings offer valuable insights for mitigating cross-infection risks between dental workers and patients in dental clinics.

Air disinfection performance of upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UR-UVGI) system in a multi-compartment dental clinic

Multi-compartment dental clinics present significant airborne cross-infection risks. Upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UR-UVGI) system have shown promise in preventing airborne pathogens, but its available application data are insufficient in multi-compartment dental clinics. Therefore, the UR-UVGI system's performance in a multi-compartment dental clinic was comprehensively evaluated in this study. The accuracy of the turbulence and drift flux models was verified by experimental data from ultrasonic scaling. The effects of the ventilation rate, irradiation zone volume, and irradiation flux on UR-UVGI performance were analyzed using computational fluid dynamics coupled with a UV inactivation model. Different patient numbers were considered. The results showed that UR-UVGI significantly reduced virus concentrations and outperformed increased ventilation rates alone. At a ventilation rate of six air changes per hour (ACH), UR-UVGI with an irradiation zone volume of 20% and irradiation flux of 5 μW/cm2 achieved a 70.44% average virus reduction in the whole room (WR), outperforming the impact of doubling the ventilation rate from 6 to 12 ACH without UR-UVGI. The highest disinfection efficiency of UR-UVGI decreased for WRs with more patients. The compartment treating patients exhibited significantly lower disinfection efficiency than others. Moreover, optimal UR-UVGI performance occurs at lower ventilation rates, achieving over 80% virus disinfection in WR. Additionally, exceeding an irradiation zone volume of 20% or an irradiation flux of 5 μW/cm2 notably reduces the improvement rates of UR-UVGI performance. These findings provide a scientific reference for strategically applying UR-UVGI in multi-compartment dental clinics.

Pathogen characteristics of respiratory infections in the season after the COVID-19 pandemic between August and December 2023: evidence from direct-to-consumer testing-based surveillance in Guangzhou and Beijing, China

ObjectivesIn the fall-winter of 2023, China experienced its first epidemic season of respiratory diseases since the COVID-19 pandemic. Gathering timely data about pathogenetic characteristics of respiratory infections is crucial to complement current respiratory surveillance mechanisms in China. Data from direct-to-consumer (DTC) multi-respiratory pathogen (MRP) testing could serve as a novel source of multi-pathogen data for community-based surveillance. MethodsA pioneering initiative was launched to detect multiple respiratory pathogens in Beijing and Guangzhou, China. DTC MRP tests were used to provide proactive surveillance ahead of medical services. ResultsA total of 28,018 participants were enrolled between 22 August and 10 December 2023. Positive findings for at least one respiratory pathogen were observed in 26,202 (93.5%) participants. Influenza virus A, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human adenovirus are the three leading viral pathogens detected with proportions of 18.0%, 10.6%, and 8.8%. Viral-bacterial pathogens were co-detected in 9736 (34.7%) of participants, which reduced to 22.2% for bacterial-bacterial co-detection, and 22.0% for bacterial mono-detection. The epidemiological ecology of respiratory pathogens within both viral clusters and specific pathogens varied among cities. The peak of RSV epidemics in Guangzhou occurred in the fall of 2023, earlier than in Beijing. ConclusionThe innovative program offered enhanced surveillance capabilities beyond traditional methods, enabling prompt feedback about test results and mitigating the risk of cross-infection caused by waits in healthcare facilities.

Assessment of airborne viral transmission risks in a large-scale building using onsite measurements and CFD method

Screening patients for potential respiratory infections through nucleic acid sampling was a critical non-pharmacologic intervention during a respiratory infectious disease pandemic. Evaluating the cross-infection risk of crowded activities conducted indoors is necessary. We conducted a field study of this event in a large-scale stadium and measured the variation in CO2 concentrations. We conducted simulations on the stadium's flow field, CO2 and N2O concentration distribution using the CFD method, which was validated by the on-site measured data. We simulated the diffusion of virus aerosols exhaled by the sampled individuals under an all-fresh and primary return air system, respectively. It was found that space morphology and airflow pattern are the main factors influencing the concentration distribution of human exhaled contaminants. Primary return air systems can reduce the infection risk for sampled individuals by the filtration system and improve the airflow pattern. With the ratio of fresh air to return air of 1.2, the primary return air systems with 70 %, 85 %, and 95 % filtration levels can reduce the infection risk by an average of 54.5 %, 58.3 %, and 62.1 %, respectively, compared to all-fresh air system. It is necessary to optimize the processes and queue setups for nucleic acid sampling activities in the room based on the room airflow characteristics and the return air system using an efficient filtration system.

Smart Bandage Based on a ZIF-8 Triboelectric Nanogenerator for In Situ Real-Time Monitoring of Drug Concentration.

For chronic wounds, frequent replacement of bandages not only increases the likelihood of secondary damage and the risk of cross infection but also wastes medication. Therefore, in situ real-time monitoring of the concentrations of residual drugs in bandages is crucial. Here, we propose a novel strategy that combines a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with medical bandages to develop a smart bandage based on zeolite imidazolate framework TENG. During the process of wound healing, the electrical output of TENG changes with the continuous release of drugs. Based on the correlation between the electrical signal of TENG and drug concentration, the concentration of residual drugs in the bandage can be monitored in real-time in situ, guiding medical staff to replace the bandage at the most appropriate time. The smart bandage based on TENG provides a new strategy for in situ real-time monitoring of drug concentration and also provides an ideal and feasible solution for the field of biomedical drug sensing.

Design and application of a hemodialysis machine suitable for transporting patients

Blood purification is one of the commonly used techniques for the rescue of critically ill patients, which is used for acute and chronic kidney injury caused by various causes and renal replacement therapy (RRT) for a variety of critical diseases. Its main working principle is to drain the human blood into a variety of dialyzers through the artificial tube, exchange substances through a variety of ways, and remove harmful substances and some metabolites from patients' body. Then the purified blood is transfused back to the body, so as to maintain the patient's internal environment relatively stable. At present, there are different models of hemodialysis machines in clinical practice, but they are bulky and unable to move, and the method of heat dissipation is single, which cannot meet the needs of hemodialysis treatment in transport patients. Therefore, the medical staff of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University designed and developed a hemodialysis machine, which is suitable for patients who demand hemodialysis treatment during transport, and obtained the National Invention Patent of China (ZL 2020 1 0864737.3). The hemodialysis machine comprises a main body of the hemodialysis machine and a mobile vehicle. The main body of the hemodialysis machine is placed in the bottom of the mobile vehicle, and a protective cylinder with fixed airbags is designed around the main body of the hemodialysis machine. The fixed airbag is connected to the air storage tank through the pipeline, the air storage tank is connected to the Venturi tube through the control valve, and the throat of the Venturi tube is connected to the disinfection tank and cooling water tank. The outlet end of the Venturi tube is connected with the cooling pipe inside the main part of the hemodialysis machine and the sprinkler head placed on the top of the main body. By adding a mobile vehicle and designing an airbag and protective cylinder, the hemodialysis machine can be applied to the hemodialysis treatment during the transportation of patients. By designing the heat dissipation pipe, the main body of the hemodialysis machine can be cooled, the temperature of the hemodialysis machine can be reduced, and the hemodialysis machine can still work when the fan is damaged. By designing the sprinkler head, it is convenient to automatically disinfect the main screen and control keys of the hemodialysis machine, reduce the risk of cross infection of medical staff in the operation, and increase the safety and practicability of the hemodialysis machine. The hemodialysis machine is convenient, safe and efficient, which can be widely used in the hemodialysis treatment during transported patient, and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Infection Control Attitude, Knowledge and Awareness Level Among Dental Students and Interns in the Removable Prosthodontic Department at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi, Libya

Background: Dental students have increased patient contact during their education and clinical practice, putting them, their patient population and Dental Health Care Workers (DHCW) at high risk of cross-infection. Awareness of infection control principles may help in preventing disease transmission; therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of infection control knowledge, attitude, and practice among dental students and interns in a removable prosthodontic department at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Benghazi, Libya. Materials and Methods: In May 2023, we distributed questionnaires containing 33 items to interns, 3rd-year, and 4th-year dental students at the faculty. The questions covered topics such as hepatitis B vaccination, use of personal protective barriers, knowledge of infection control protocols, and practice in the removable prosthodontic department of the faculty. Descriptive statistics were recorded using frequency and percentages. Differences in proportions were assessed using the Chi-square and Fisher exact test. All statistical analyses were performed at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: A total of four hundred and ten (410) participants responded to the questionnaire. Around 21.5% of the students had completed their hepatitis B vaccination, while 41.2% had never been vaccinated. Regarding the self-reported use of protective barriers, intern students showed a significantly higher score than did other study groups (P <0.001). Moreover, the vast majority of 3rd year students reported never wearing eyewear, a face shield, or the head cap (73.2%), (81.1%), or (70.1%), respectively. About two-thirds of intern students (69.4%) showed positive attitudes toward the treatment of patients with infectious diseases. Conclusion: This study showed moderate compliance to infection control procedures among the participants, they have limited orientation and knowledge of the infection control guidelines and policies. Despite a positive attitude toward infection control measures, proper infection control practices were not consistently followed. Consequently, it is essential to take action to ensure that students understand the critical importance of practicing cross-infection control. Higher education institutions should implement effective solutions to address this issue.

Journey of Platelet concentrates in Periodontal Regeneration – A review

Platelet concentrates are the derivatives of blood which helps in haemostasis and wound healing after periodontal regenerative procedures and are enriched with growth factors are well-known to boost the healing process and have started to be in trend and utilized clinically in periodontal surgical procedures. These are prepared from the patient’s own blood throughout which the activated platelets become close and form a fibrin matrix scaffold that releases growth factors and cytokines which plays a key role in tissue regeneration; including cell proliferation and differentiation, extracellular matrix synthesis, chemotaxis and angiogenesis. Its autologous nature provides an advantage to the patients as it reduces treatment cost and minimizes the risk of cross-infection. Despite its exclusive application in promoting healing, there is data paucity on the role of platelet concentrates on bone regeneration. Therefore, this review aims to explore the potential bone regenerative effect of platelet concentrates that would be beneficial as one of the alternative options in periodontal regenerative procedures. Even though the application of platelet concentrates has shown promising outcomes, there is a need for further studies to discover the potential of platelet concentrates in bone regeneration. This review highlights various types of platelet concentrates, and their clinical applications within the treatment of periodontal diseases.

What motivates the intention of seeking confirmed cases' activity trajectory information in public health emergencies? An information ecology theory analysis

PurposeIn public health emergencies, seeking confirmed cases’ activity trajectory information (CCATI) is crucial to the public’s efforts to combat the epidemic. The public can stabilize their sentiments and mitigate the risk of cross-infection by obtaining CCATI. We investigated the factors influencing users' intentions to seek CCATI to enhance the government’s risk communication capabilities and improve information platform services.Design/methodology/approachWe analyzed how information ecological factors affect the intention to seek CCATI through perceived value. Data was collected from 429 Chinese citizens during the fourth wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We used the structural equation model technology and bootstrap mediation effect test to examine the model.FindingsInformation understandability, information relevance, perceived severity and perceived vulnerability directly and positively affect the intention of seeking CCATI. While, the above relationships are also partially mediated by emotional value and functional value. Social support directly and negatively affects the intention of seeking CCATI, while the relationship is also partially mediated by emotional value and functional value. Curiosity directly and positively affects the intention of seeking CCATI, while the relationship is also partially mediated by emotional value. The relationship between the quality of the search service and the intention of seeking CCATI is not significant, instead, it is fully mediated by functional value. The influence effect of information relevance on the intention of seeking CCATI is the greatest, followed by perceived vulnerability. The mediating effect of functional value is higher than emotional value.Practical implicationsThe findings may help governments enhance their risk communication capabilities and improve epidemic prevention and control measures, enhancing the appeal of information platforms.Originality/valueWe focused on CCATI, an area with limited scholarly attention. We analyzed CCATI-seeking factors using an information ecology theory, introducing perceived value as a mediator, thus offering novel perspectives and models.

Prevalence of nasopharyngeal myiasis in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from an area with high sympatry between wild and domestic ungulates in Central Spain

Infestation by the sheep bot fly Oestrus ovis was firstly reported in a single roe deer from Central Spain in 2022. For assessing the current situation of nasal myiases in this ungulate in this area, the nasopharyngeal cavities of 184 roe deer hunted in Central Spain between January-June 2023 were examined. All larvae were recovered and morphologically identified; in addition, species identification was molecularly confirmed in a subset of specimens. Forty-four roe deer (23.9%; CI 95 17.95–30.74) were positive for different Oestrinae larval stages. Twenty-six animals (14.1%; CI 95 9.44–20.02%) were infested by the roe deer nasal bot fly (Cephenemyia stimulator) with a mean intensity of 35.2 (SD 49.71) larvae/infested animal, and eighteen (9.8%; CI 95 5.90-15.02%) roe deer harboured the sheep bot fly (O. ovis), with a mean intensity of 2.0 (SD 1.33) larvae/infested animal. No mixed infestations by both Oestrinae were found in a single animal. All larval instars (L1, L2 and L3) of both species were identified. Most C. stimulator specimens were located at the nasal turbinates, and a small percentage (3.2%) at the pharynx; all O. ovis larvae were found at the nasal turbinates. Since O. ovis is highly prevalent in sheep and goat flocks from Central Spain, the high sympatry between roe deer and small ruminant populations in the studied area may have increased the risk of cross-infection. Moreover, the finding of mature L3 of O. ovis suggests that this species can complete its life cycle in roe deer. Therefore, monitoring bot flies in sheep and goat flocks as well as in sympatric wild ruminants is strongly recommended for achieving an optimum control of nasal myiases.

Long-lasting renewable antibacterial N-halamine coating enable dental unit waterlines to prevention and control of contamination of dental treatment water

Developing bacterial biofilm on the dental unit waterlines increases the risk of cross-infection among oral patients. Although chemical disinfectants can achieve disinfection effects in a short period of time, corrosion damage of dental unit waterlines and water contamination can also occur after continuous use of it. Herein, this study explored a one-step deposition method to prepare a durable and renewable antibacterial N-halamine polymeric coating on polyurethane waterlines. The method utilized polyelectrolyte complexes formed with polyethylenimine (PEI) and phytic acid (PA), followed by chlorination to activate the antibacterial properties. The N-halamine polymeric coating reduces the polyurethane waterline’s water contact angle, thus reducing biofouling deposits and the obstruction of the active halide site on the waterlines, thereby facilitating the maintenance of the cleanliness of the coating. In addition, benefiting both from the active chlorine release and the high density of positive charges on the coating, the polyurethane waterline antimicrobial activity is significantly enhanced. Besides, the N-halamine polymeric coating is biocompatible. This study showed that long-lasting and renewable antimicrobial requirements can be achieved by simple surface modification of N-halamine polymer coatings, which provides a practicable strategy for the production of long-term and reproducible antibacterial dental unit waterlines to reduce the incidence of hospital infection in oral department.

Parametric study and optimization on exhaled particle dispersion in a ward heated by impinging jet ventilation using orthogonal-based grey relational method

During the heating season with high-frequency infection events, an appropriate ventilation method is critical to a healthy hospital environment. In this study, impinging jet ventilation (IJV) was proposed to reduce cross-infection risk in a two-bed ward for winter heating. An Eulerian-Lagrangian approach validated by experimental data was employed to simulate exhaled particle dispersion. Using a full factorial design method, under air changes per hour (ACH) of 6–15 h−1 and supply air temperature (Ts) of 24–30 °C, the effects of supply air parameters on particle dispersion was analyzed. A correlation model was subsequently established to delineate the relationship between supply air parameters and particle elimination. With an orthogonal-based grey relational method, this study compared the contribution and significance of supply air parameters and two uncontrollable factors (i.e., source location and outdoor air temperature), and then optimized the supply air parameters of IJV. The results indicated that the contribution percentage of supply air parameters was higher than 70 % for particle removal and residence time. With an appropriate supply air parameter, the airflow of IJV could comply with human body plume, enhancing removal of fine particles (≤20 μm). However, with a low Ts (lower than 26 °C) or an excessive ACH (more than 12 h−1), the number of fine particles moving upwards might be reduced. To achieve a better performance in preventing cross-infection, ACH and Ts of IJV were recommended to be set at 9 h−1 and 28 °C, respectively. The findings were expected to provide guidance for ward ventilation design.

An integrated experimental and CFD analysis of ceiling-fan-integrated air conditioning system: Indoor air quality and air velocity

The Ceiling-Fan-Integrated-Air Conditioning (CFIAC) represents an innovative HVAC design, which involves directing supply air towards the vicinity of ceiling fans, facilitating the mixture and distribution of air within a room. By eliminating the need for terminal ductwork and diffusers, CFIAC offers an efficient cooling solution for occupants. This study employs experimental and CFD methodologies to assess various parameters, including airflow, air pollution, and temperature related to this system. Experimental tests were conducted in a controlled chamber, with the lowest inlet air velocity and the temperature, where supply air was projected from a high-sidewall vent directly towards a ceiling fan's centerline. Different operational conditions of the ceiling fan were examined (off, Level 2 and Level 4 downwards, and Upwards). Carbon dioxide (CO2), employed as a tracer gas, was released near a thermal manikin at three distinct locations within the chamber: the middle, lower left, and upper right, and the corresponding CO2 concentration distributions were evaluated. Additionally, air velocity measurements were collected and analyzed. The effectiveness of ventilation and potential health exposure was quantified using the age of air and intake fraction (IF) metrics. The findings indicate that operating the fan at Level 4 with downward airflow enhances air velocities and heat loss while reducing CO2 concentrations and age of air by an average of 14 % and 4 min, respectively. Moreover, the IF values for Level 4 operations, both downward and upward, were marginally lower compared to those recorded for Level 2 downward and fan-off scenarios, suggesting a decreased risk of cross-infection.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Undergraduate Dental Students About Sterilization, Disinfection, and Infection Control: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

The core of infection control in dental settings involves minimizing potential cross-infection risks between patients and from patients to other workers in health care. Infection control is important for promoting enhanced adherence to protocols through sterilization, disinfection, and infection control knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among undergraduate dental students. A cross-sectional survey among 222 undergraduates of Dental Students and Interns of the Dental Institute, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, India, was conducted. KAP of participants related to sterilization and disinfection were assessed before and after educational lectures using a pre-fabricated questionnaire. All 182 respondents considered the importance of sterilization and disinfection during the dental procedure. While 98.8% had adequate knowledge about isolation and immunization, only 3.8% were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV). They were perfect in hand hygiene compliance (100%) and awareness regarding autoclave sterilization stood at 78.8%. Mean KAP scores were 7.03 ± 1.39, 10.15 ± 1.40, and 9. The undergraduate dental students showed a high level of awareness but wide gaps between practice and attitude of sterilization protocols. Therefore, there is a need for interventions that could bridge the theory-practice gap to improve adherence to infection control measures.

Assessment of Microbial Contamination of Dental Prostheses

Objective: Various dental prostheses, such as crowns and dentures, are crafted in dental laboratories and then applied within the patient's mouth in dental institutions. However, dental workers rarely disinfect them before application. Therefore, we investigated the bacterial contamination of various intraoral prostheses to confirm the importance of infection control. Methods: Bacterial samples were collected from 23 dental prostheses (including six gold crowns, seven zirconia crowns, four porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, and six dentures) in dental laboratories and dental institutions in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. These samples were inoculated onto 3M Petrifilm for general aerobic bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The colonies that formed after 48 hours of culture were counted. Results: General aerobic bacteria and S. aureus were detected on the majority of dental prostheses, with dentures showing the highest presence (p=0.003). Neither aerobic bacteria nor S. aureus showed statistically significant differences between dental institutions and laboratories. A positive correlation was noted between the denture and the denture in terms of general aerobic bacteria and S. aureus detection (r=0.829, p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result, many bacteria were detected in most dental prostheses. Therefore, there is a need to recognize the risk of crossinfection through dental prosthesis and to establish specific infection control guidelines.

The Effect of Imbibition on Immersion Hydrocolloid Irreversible Alginate Sodium Hypochlorite Disinfectant Solution and Red Betel Leaf (Pipper Crocatum) Extract

Background: impressing the patient's oral cavity in dentistry can pose a risk of cross infection between doctor and patient. Therefore it is necessary to disinfect the impression material to remove bacteria that stick to the impression material. Disinfection that can be used besides sodium hypochlorite can also extract red betel leaves. Purpose: to find out the difference of imbibition on immersion hydrocolloid irreversible alginate in sodium hypochlorite 1% and red betel leaf extract 100%. Method: this research is experimental with pretest and posttest control group design with 4 treatment groups, 2 groups were immersed in sodium hypochlorite 1% and 2 groups were immersed in red betel leaf extract 100%. Immersing time is 5 and 10 minutes. Each repetition is done 6 times. Negative molds are measured before and after immersion. Data were analyzed using the OneWay Anova Test. Results: The effects of alginate mold imbibition on sodium hypochlorite immersion were greater than immersion in red betel leaf extract. Conclusion: There was a significant difference (p <0.05) in the imbibition of the printed hydrocolloid irreversible alginate soaked in sodium hypochlorite 1% and red betel leaf extract 100% for 5 minutes, and 10 minutes