Keywords
dental clinics
infection control
personal protective equipment
occupational health
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the level of adherence to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning of the clinical environment, and waste management by faculty, students and support staff at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Costa Rica.
Methods: Cross-sectional study, 242 non-participant direct observations were conducted between August and September 2022 in different clinical services and shifts. A structured guide based on the institutional Infection Control Protocol was used. Data were collected by approved observers using an online form. Variables included sex, participant type, and adherence to hand hygiene, PPE use, environmental cleaning and disinfection, and waste management. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied; significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Hand hygiene showed high levels of compliance (93% before and 88% after PPE use). However, proper PPE use was low in several items: institutional shoes (17%), glasses with side protection (51%), and correctly fitted surgical masks (33%). Regarding cleaning and disinfection, low compliance was observed in the use of plastic barriers and disinfection of electronic equipment (<65%). Waste management was adequate (>90%), although only 77% of students complied with the protocol for transporting contaminated instruments.
Conclusions: Although there is general awareness of biosafety standards, their implementation is partial. It is recommended to strengthen differentiated training, improve supervision, ensure access to supplies, and strengthen the safety culture in the university clinical environment.
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