Microbial Contamination of the White Coats of Dental Staff in the Clinical Setting

Abstract

Background and aims. Although wearing a white coat is an accepted part of medical and dental practice, it is a potential source of cross-infection. The objective of this study was to determine the level and type of microbial contamination present on the white coats of dental interns, graduate students and faculty in a dental clinic. Materials and methods. Questionnaire and cross-sectional survey of the bacterial contamination of white coats in two predetermined areas (chest and pocket) on the white coats were done in a rural dental care center. Paired sample t-test and chisquare test were used for Statistical analysis. Results. 60.8% of the participants reported washing their white coats once a week. Grading by the examiner revealed 15.7% dirty white coats. Also, 82.5% of the interns showed bacterial contamination of their white coats compared to 74.7% graduate students and 75% faculty members irrespective of the area examined. However, chest area was consistently a more bacteriologically contaminated site as compared to the pocket area. Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed resistant varieties of microorganisms against Amoxicillin (60%), Erythromycin (42.5%) and Cotrimoxazole (35.2%). Conclusion. The white coats seem to be a potential source of cross-infection in the dental setting. The bacterial contamination carried by white coats, as demonstrated in this study, supports the ban on white coats from non-clinical areas.

Keywords

• Antibiotic sensitivity
• cross infection
• dental students
• microbial contamination
• white coats