SUMMARY
Background: The practice of infection control is a crucial and important element in clinical dentistry as there is an increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases among dental patients and dental professionals. This necessitates the application of recommended procedures for infection control in dental schools and clinics.
General objective:The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of dental surgery technician students toward infection control measures in the clinical setting of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Materials and methods:A questionnaire-based study was carried out among 150 dental surgery technician students in preclinical and clinical classes at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Results: A total of 112 dental surgery technician students responded and participated in this study. Report of knowledge of dental surgery technician students on infection control revealed that the majority of the participants knew about the standard precautionary measures, hand washing after contact, use of alcohol-based rubs, use of new gloves for each patient, adherence to hand hygiene and washing hands with soap and water.
Conclusion: A significant proportion of respondents had good knowledge of infection control.
Recommendation: Efforts are needed to improve the attitude and motivate students in the correct and routine use of infection control measures.
