Acquired Immunity in Dentistry Students After Hepatitis B Vaccination

After triple-course vaccination against Hepatitis B (HB), there may be a failure to increase antibody titer value or to maintain it at satisfactory seroprotective levels. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of seroprotection in dental students after receiving complete doses of HB vaccination.

In this cross-sectional observational study, Anti-HBs levels of 100 dental students, who had received triple-course HB vaccines, were examined. Titres of more than 100 mIU/ml were considered as protective. The association between various parameters, like gender, age, duration of the last vaccination, booster dose, and comparison of anti-HBs levels at various durations from the last vaccination, was assessed.

Of the 100 participants, 52 were females and 48 were males. The participants’ age ranged from 22 to 31 years with the mean age being 28.12±2.552 years in females and 26.88±3.512 years in males. Overall, 65% of the participants had a good immune response i.e. anti-HBs values were more than 100 mIU/ml, 24% had a moderate immune response i.e. anti-HBs values were 11-99 mIU/ml, and 11% had a poor immune response i.e. anti-HBs values were less than 10 mIU/ml.

There was a substantial failure rate in attaining or preserving satisfactory anti-HBs values after routine vaccinations against the HB virus (HBV). Hence, it is very important to determine post-vaccine serological anti-HBs values to take proper booster doses and maintain adequate immunity levels.