Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: Hepatitis B infection is one of the major public health problems globally and is the tenth leading cause of death. Dental surgeons are those HCWs who majorly deal with blood and saliva while performing surgical interventions related to dento-maxillofacial region, the chances of blood borne infections especially of hepatitits B are very high. Hence, we estimated the prevalence and degree of hepatitis B viral infection, the vaccination status and the efficacy of vaccine. Materials & methods: The students were divided into two groups based on their vaccination status. Group 1 (Non – vaccinated dental students): In this group, HBsAg was investigated. Those students who were HBsAg positive were further investigated for HBeAg.  Group 2 (Vaccinated dental students): In this group, Anti-HBs titres were evaluated. Those who had titres > 10 mIU/mL were considered as immune individuals against hepatitis B (responders to vaccine). Those who had titres < 10 mIU/mL were considered as  non responders to vaccine and further evaluated for HBsAg. Those students who were HBsAg positive were further investigated for HBeAg.All the results were analysed by SPSS software version 21. Results: All the dental students were found to be seronegative for HBV infection. Out of all the students who gave consent to be part of the study, 46% were vaccinated and 54% were non-vaccinated students. Seroprotection against HBV infection decreased significantly with increasing time from last vaccination due to waning of anti-HBs antibody titres. Conclusion: DHCWs are at high risk in contacting HBV infection.
Key words: Dental, students, Hepatitis B, vaccination, healthcare workers

Received: 5 January  2019                                       Revised: 25 January 2019                              Accepted: 28 January 2019
Corresponding author: Dr. Bhuvan Nagpal, 1021, Urban Estate – II, Hisar, Haryana, India - 125005

This article may be cited as: Nagpal B, Hegde U, Kulkarni M. Hepatitis B Seropositivity and Immune Status in Dental Students. J Adv Med Dent Scie Res 2019;7(2):9-12.