Knowledge and Practice of Dentists Regarding Disinfection of Impressions Sent to Laboratory

Introdouction: Infection control procedures are essential for dentists. Oral and dental impressions can act as carriers of contaminants that can increase the risk of infections while being transferred from the laboratory to the dental office. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice of dentists regarding disinfection of impressions sent to the laboratory. Materials and methods: In this sectional descriptive study, 166 dentists in Rasht were randomly surveyed using a questionnaire that included routine demographic questions, including 10 on knowledge and 15 on practice. Each correct answer was scored +1 in the two-choice questions, and each choice was graded as weak, moderate, or good in the multiple-choice questions. Chi-square and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests were performed using SPSS 19.0 software to analyze the data. Results: The total mean and standard deviation values for dentists’ knowledge were found to be 2.11 ± 0.562, and 18 (10.8%), 112 (67.5%), and 36 (21.7%) of the 166 dentists demonstrated good, moderate, and weak knowledge, respectively. The total mean and standard deviation values for dentists’ practice were 1.67 ± 0.663, and 72 (43.4%), 76 (45.8%), and 18 (10.8%) dentists demonstrated good, moderate, and weak practice, respectively. Conclusion:Most dentists demonstrated moderate knowledge and practice of disinfection of dental impressions, and in many cases, the knowledge was not commensurate with the practice. Thus, despite the moderate and upward knowledge, the practice was weak. Furthermore, the dentists’ knowledge and practice were not sufficient to ensure disinfection of impressions. Better training and careful monitoring is needed in this regard.