Knowledge and Practises Related to Hepatitis B among Dental Students

Abstract

Introduction:Hepatitis B infection is one of the most common causes of viral Hepatitis and is caused by Hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV  is highly contagious and is more infectious than HIV. HBV is a major global health problem that affects a large number of people every year. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and practises related to Hepatitis B among dental students.

Materials And Methods: A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted in the  month of March to April 2020 among 200 dental students through a self administered questionnaire. The responses were collected, tabulated in excel sheet and analysed using SPSS software. Chi square test was used to analyze the level of knowledge on Hepatitis B among dental students with statistical significance of p< 0.05.

Results: 97% students were aware about Hepatitis B. Around 89.5% students said that Hepatitis B infection is transmitted by virus and 90.5% students were that Hepatitis infection was transmitted during blood transfusions. 87% of students were aware that they should receive immunisation against Hepatitis virus.

Conclusion: The study shows that the majority of the students have adequate knowledge and practises related to Hepatitis B. From the present study, the first year and second year undergraduate dental students  had good knowledge compared to other undergraduate dental students.