Education and Awareness Activities Regarding Hepatitis B and C Among Japanese Dental Health Workers in the Oita Prefecture

Abstract

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are known to pose a major threat for dental health workers (DHWs). Previously, we reported that the HBV and HCV infection rates among DHWs in the Oita Prefecture in Japan were higher than those among the general population. The aim of this study was to disseminate knowledge about hepatitis and its prevention among the DHWs.Materials and Methods: Educational booklets were mailed to 2,197 DHWs working in 487 dental clinics. After anonymously responding to online questions about their experience with HBV and HCV testing, Hepatitis B vaccination, and percutaneous injury, the subjects were required to respond to additional questions about their understanding of hepatitis.Results: A total of 521 DHWs (205 males and 316 females) responded to the questionnaires. Among them, 61.6% had experienced percutaneous injuries, but only 19.4% were fully aware of how to deal with them before reading the booklet, and also 10.6% had sufficient knowledge about hepatitis. The past Hepatitis B vaccination, past HBV testing rate, and past HCV testing rate were 62.4%, 71.8%, and 43.2%, respectively. The DHWs who are not dentists (n = 293) had significantly lower rates of past testing for their own hepatitis virus, knowledge about treatment of percutaneous injuries, and awareness of hepatitis as compared to dentists (n = 228). After reading the booklet, 99.5% of subjects found the booklet useful and 87.3% said it would influence their future hepatitis testing. Conclusion:The educational booklet was effective way to increase DHWs' knowledge about Hepatitis B and C and how to manage percutaneous injuries.

Hepatitis B and C infections among Japanese dental health workers: Insights from vaccination rates and screening results in the Oita prefecture

“…We previously reported that the HBV infection rate in non-vaccinated Japanese DHCWs was about 16.9 times higher than that in vaccinated workers (Nagao et al, 2008). Our report showed that 98.5% of DHCWs remained uninfected by HBV after vaccine administration, whereas one in four non-vaccinated workers had a previous HBV infection (25.4%), characterized by HBsAg-negative and HB core antibody (anti-HBc)-positive serology, indicating a high infection rate (Nagao et al, 2008). Other reports also indicate a fivefold higher HBV infection rate among non-vaccinated individuals (Cleveland, 1996).…”

“…In 2009, the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control established the "Vaccine Guidelines for Healthcare Workers," which states that all healthcare professionals who may come in contact with patients, their blood, or environmental surfaces contaminated with blood should receive HB vaccination (Mikamo et al, 2020;Okabe et al, 2009). However, in one of our previous studies, we reported a high HBV infection rate and a low HBV vaccination rate among DHCWs in the Fukuoka prefecture in Japan (Nagao et al, 2008). Additionally, Tada et al (2014) reported that infection control practice was not widely practiced in dentistry in Japan.…”

“…years ago in the 2018 study (Nagao et al, 2021) (Figure 2). Among the 11 anti-HCV-positive subjects, the proportions of older individuals and males were high; moreover, seven had a history of antiviral treatment, but the status of viral elimination was unknown.…”

“…Specifically, 1834 DHCWs underwent hepatitis virus testing during regular health check-ups in 2018. The results showed significantly higher HBV and HCV infection rates among the participants than in the first-time blood donors (n = 2,727,727) in Japan (Nagao et al, 2021). The positivity rates for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) increased with age; the age group of 50−70 years had the highest infection rate (positivity rate of 1.7%−2.2%).…”

“…Note: Differences between the two groups were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Fisher's exact test.Abbreviations: anti-HB, antibody to HBsAg; HB, hepatitis B; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HCV, hepatitis C virus; NS, not significant.injuries and cuts, as well as the insufficient coverage of the HB vaccination. Exposure to needlestick injuries has been reported to be high, ranging from 70.3% to 73.2% among dentists and 52.6%−77.2% among dental staff in Japan(Kobayashi, 2015;Nagao et al, 2022).…”