Comprehensive Training on Infection Control for the Dental Students during Their Transition from Preclinical to Clinical Phase: Acquired Knowledge and Perception
Prebha Manickam, Lahari Ajay Telang, Jayashri Tamanna Nerali, Nimal Ram GandhiAbstract
Background and Aim:
Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a critical aspect of oral health care. Dental students form an important part of the healthcare system and yet have been identified to be the weakest group during infection control audits. Hence, a customized training program was designed to instill IPC practices early in the process of training. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of this training on IPC practices of dental students during their transition from preclinical to clinical phase of dentistry and analyze their perception regarding the same.
Materials and Methods:
A training program consisting of combinations of teaching methods through didactic lectures, student-centered learning, and “hands-on” clinical demonstrations was customized for 3rd undergraduate year students (
Results:
The majority of the students (96%) felt that early training during the beginning of clinical years of dentistry improved their IPC practice. The FGD highlighted barriers to IPC from a learner’s perspective along with identifying the concerns in practicing chairside IPC measures.
Conclusion:
The training helped in improving knowledge and perception of IPC practices among the students and created a foundation to instill tenets of routine IPC measures in their future practice. Early training, along with repeated just-in-time re-enforcement, is key to achieving good IPC practices among dental students.