Intensity and type of microbial contamination of cell phones of medical staff in dentistry centers of Shahed University

Portable electronic devices play an important role in the transmission of hospital pathogens in the hospital environment and in the community. Cell phones used by patients, companions and medical staff can serve as a source for bacterial growth and to transmit microorganisms and spread nosocomial infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity and type of microbial contamination of cell phones of medical staff in dentistry centers of Shahed University.
 
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 160 medical staff in dentistry centers of Shahed University in Tehran, 2018. Wet swab samples were drawn on the whole surface of cell phones and cultured in MacConkey and Blood Agar plates. In addition, a checklist was prepared and demographic information of staff including age, gender, education level, and occupation was recorded in addition to the results of culture of cell phones. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.
 
The results showed that 144 cell phones (90%) were infected and 16 phones (10%) were not infected. The most prevalent bacteria grown were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (25.7%) followed by Micrococcus (24.3%) and Gram-positive bacillus (15.7%). Frequency of bacteria on cell phones was not significantly correlated with basic variables such as center of sampling, age, gender, education level and occupation (P>0.05).
 
Based on the results of the present study and similar studies in this field, it can be concluded that cell phones of medical staffs have harmful bacteria that are the most important causes of infections originating from the medical environment and can range from simple infections to life-threatening infections.