Safety Efficiency of General Vaccination Against Hepatitis B in Urmia Dental Students: Vaccination and Hepatitis B

Objectives Hepatitis B is a life-threatening disease that affects the liver. Despite the availability of vaccines and drugs, the disease remains a major human health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum level of anti-HBs in dental students of Urmia Dental School. Methods This descriptive study was performed on 72 (38 males, 34 females) dental students vaccinated against hepatitis B. Totally, 5 cc of venous blood was taken from each student and sent to a laboratory. In the laboratory, after serum separation, HBs antibody titer was measured by Bind Mono kit by ELISA. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 by the Chi-square test. Results The minimum and maximum antibody titers were zero and 1000 IU/mg, respectively. Assessment of the frequency of HBs-Ab adequacy showed that 7 (9.7%) students had no immune response, 23 (31.9%) had low safety level, and 42 (58.3%) had good and acceptable safety levels. There was no significant difference between males and females in this regard (P>0.05).. Conclusion Most of the students were immune to the virus, although about 32% of them showed low immunity, indicating the need for re-vaccination. Seven out of 72 students were not immune to the disease

Knowledge and attitude of pregnant women in Urmia, Iran, about oral health care during pregnancy

Abstract Objectives Physiological changes during pregnancy make mothers susceptible to periodontal diseases, in particular gingivitis, which could be prevented by good oral hygiene. Therefore, their knowledge and attitude could affect their oral hygiene and general health. This study therefore aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding oral hygiene, of pregnant women living in a city in Iran. Material and Methods It was a cross‐sectional study that was performed in Urmia City in 2019. After completing an informed consent form, pregnant women completed a specially designed questionnaire, which included questions on demographic characteristics and assessed participants' knowledge and attitude about oral health care during pregnancy. A clinical examination of each participant's oral cavity was performed and dental plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and number of decayed, missed, filled teeth (DMFT) index were recorded. Any correlations between participants' knowledge and attitude and oral health indices were evaluated. A paired t test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were employed for statistical analysis. Results A total of 96 pregnant women (mean age of 29.11 ± 6.80 years) participated in this study. Among them, 67 had a moderate level of knowledge. There was no significant correlation between participants' knowledge, and attitude levels and educational level (p = .88 and p = .43, respectively). Also, there was no correlation between knowledge and attitude levels and GI, PI, and DMFT (p > .05). Conclusions This study showed that the knowledge and attitude of the pregnant women who participated were not favorable and their oral hygiene needed to be improved