Assessing the Knowledge and Attitude about Hepatitis C among Dental Students in Tehran, Iran in 2014-2015

Hepatitis C is a common viral disease of the liver, with an estimated 4.5 million infected individuals in the US. The lack of adequate knowledge of the hepatitis C has been reported among clinicians, dentists and other occupational groups. The present study showed the Knowledge and attitude of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Shahid Beheshti Dental School regarding hepatitis C: 2014-2015. In this descriptive cross- sectional study, 100 undergraduate and postgraduate students (80 and 20 individuals) were selected and studied by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire included 17 knowledge and 9 attitude questions. The attitude and knowledge of dental students were assessed by Chi-Square Test. Of the total studied individuals, 32 students(32%) showed poor knowledge, 48 ones(48%) moderate knowledge and 20 ones(20%) had good knowledge of hepatitis C. Furthermore, 12 cases(12%) demonstrated poor attitude, 49 cases (49%) moderate attitude and 39 cases (39%) had good attitude. Value Odds ratio postgraduate students than the undergraduate students of the Group has the knowledge and attitudes of high compared to the moderate knowledge and attitude were 2/5 and the group has the knowledge and attitudes of high compared to low 4/5, respectively, Odds ratio in Female students than male of the above Groups were 1/3 and 1/8No significant effect of gender and course were shown on the student’s attitude and knowledge. (P. value > 0/05) It was concluded that although fair knowledge and attitude were shown among undergraduate and postgraduate students of this center, some important knowledge or attitude gap persist, for which, more stresses are require and adequate educational interventions are necessitated to prevent hepatitis C transmissions among population.