Introduction:

The constant use of sharp materials and rotating instruments and the bacterial flora present in the oral cavity of patients represent a persistent risk of infection among dental students. This study was designed to determine the association between the level of knowledge and attitude toward postexposure management of occupational accidents in the clinical practice of dental students at a university clinic in Lima, Peru.

Materials and Methods:

This was an observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of 156 dentistry students. The students' level of knowledge and attitude was evaluated using an adapted survey consisting of 24 questions, after the internal validation by expert judgment. Proportions were calculated for qualitative variables and central tendency measures (median) for the age variable. In the same way, the chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to determine variable associations. Significance was set at 0.05.

Results:

Of the study participants, 78.2% had high knowledge of occupational accident management; moreover, 72.4% demonstrated a positive attitude. No statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was found between the knowledge and attitude variables. Furthermore, 69.1% of the students had at least one occupational accident during their clinical practice, prevailing the explorer with 65.1%.

Conclusions:

No association was found between the knowledge and attitude variables; however, several students had at least one occupational accident.

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