Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{190662,
        author = {Lalitha Sri Roja and Sandeep Reddy Ravula and Leela Venkata Soujanya and Hemanth Subhash and Manohar Varma},
        title = {Study of infection control practices in dental clinics within a university setting},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {3462-3464},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=190662},
        abstract = {Infection prevention and control (IPC) is fundamental to patient and provider safety in dental healthcare settings. University dental clinics pose unique challenges because of high patient turnover, aerosol-generating procedures, and the simultaneous involvement of students, faculty, and auxiliary staff.Objective: To evaluate infection control practices among students, faculty, and staff in a university dental clinic, identify factors influencing compliance, and propose targeted interventions to improve adherence. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted at GITAM Dental College, Visakhapatnam. Quantitative data were collected through structured observations and self-administered questionnaires, while qualitative insights were obtained via semi-structured interviews. Compliance with hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), instrument sterilization, surface disinfection, and biomedical waste management was assessed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: Among 212 participants, high compliance was observed for PPE usage (96%) and instrument sterilization (92%). However, compliance with hand hygiene before patient contact (68%) and protective eyewear use (55%) was suboptimal. Recent infection control training (<12 months) and professional category were significant predictors of compliance (p < 0.05). Qualitative findings highlighted workload pressures, infrastructural limitations, and supervision variability as key barriers. Conclusion: Infection control practices were satisfactory overall but demonstrated critical gaps in hand hygiene and protective eyewear usage. Regular refresher training, infrastructural improvements, and continuous audit mechanisms are recommended to strengthen compliance in university dental clinics.},
        keywords = {Infection control, dental clinics, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, compliance, university setting},
        month = {January},
        }