Knowledge and Awareness on Fumigation of Operation Theaters among Dental Undergraduates

Disinfectants play a vital role in global infection control as a crucial weapon against the transmission of nosocomial pathogens/infections combating global disease outbreak. Because of the multifactor causation of infections the environment of operation theatre plays a great role in the onset and spread of infections. As in this advancing medical era, the microbial contamination of the hospital environment, especially the operating theatre, intensive care units had continued an increased prevalence of nosocomial infection. The people who are at risk do not only involve the patients but the health professions including the nurses as well. The aim of this study was to provide and assess knowledge on fumigation of operation theatres among the dental undergraduates. A cross-sectional study was conducted online with a pre-structured questionnaire containing 10 questions among the 100 undergraduates. Persistent data were extracted and analyzed using SPSS software by IBM. A total of 100 undergraduates attended the online survey among which 78.8% were interns followed by 12.12% and 9.1% of third years and final year dental undergraduates respectively. The most commonly used fumigants opted by the participants were predominantly of formaldehyde with 89% followed by phosphine 9%. Regarding the methods of fumigation, awareness on the electric boiler fumigation method and potassium permanganate method was predominantly high among the interns with 58.9% and 84.62% respectively. Within the limits of this study, formaldehyde was the predominantly opted type of fumigant. The potassium permanganate method of fumigation was predominantly known among the participants when compared to the electric boiler fumigation method. However, the majority of participants were unaware of the emerging compounds named Virkon and Bacillocid Rasant. These were assessed along with other factors like awareness of ammonia neutralization and also the risk involved in the fumigation process.