Assessment of knowledge of Senegalese dentists on hepatitis B: A cross-sectional survey

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Introduction: Hepatitis B poses serious public health problems worldwide, given its prevalence and associated mortality.The aim of this work was to study the knowledge of dental surgeons about viral B infection.Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of a sample of 171 dental surgeons.A probabilistic multistage, stratified and systematic sampling was used.The information collected using a questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics, variables related to knowledge about hepatitis B.Results: There were more male dental surgeons (67.3%) and the average of the professional exercise duration was 10 ± 8 years.Nearly 2% of dental surgeons felt that there was no risk of needle sticking already used in a patient with hepatitis B virus; it was the same for more than 8% and 15% for the bite and kissing with a patient with HBV.Conclusion: It remains important to develop awareness and information programs for dental surgeons on the different risks of HBV transmission.