Self-reported needlestick injuries in dental health care workers at Armed Forces Hospital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the present study was to assess the incidence of sharps/ne edlestick injuries among dental health care workers (DHCWs) at Armed Forces Hospital Riyadh. A questionnaire was distributed among all dental staff, i ncluding dentists, hygienists, and dental surgery assistants. Results show that 65 individuals (58%) had sharps/needlestick injuries, and of these, mo re than half did not report these injuries to the appropriate department. A t the time of injury, the majority of the DHCWs were vaccinated or immune. but a few of them were not vaccinated against hepatitis B virus. This study concludes that every DHCW should be immunized against hepatitis B virus to avoid cross-infection from sharps/needlestick injuries, which are quite co mmon in a dental practice. The high frequency of these injuries could be re duced by simple interventions.