Diş Teknisyenlerinin COVID-19 Pandemisi Sonrası Çapraz Enfeksiyon Kontrolü İle İlgili Farkındalık, Tutum ve Bilgi Düzeylerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 3, 186 - 196, 30.09.2025

Gül Ateş

Öz

Amaç: Dental restorasyonların yapımı sırasında diş klinikleri ile laboratuvarlar arasında gidip gelen dental materyaller çapraz enfeksiyonun en yaygın sebepleri arasındadır. Bu materyaller dezenfekte edilmezse diş hekimi, diş teknisyeni ve hasta açısından enfeksiyon riski oluşturabilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’de çalışan bir grup diş teknisyeninin özellikle Covid 19 pandemisi sonrasında çapraz enfeksiyon kontrolü konusundaki bilgi düzeylerini, tutumlarını ve diş hekimleri ile aralarındaki iletişim kalitesini değerlendirmektir.
Yöntem: Çalışma Ocak 2024 ile Nisan 2024 tarihleri arasında çeşitli kurumlarda çalışan diş teknisyenlerine(n:91) çevrimiçi gönderilen anket yoluyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Anket demografik veriler ve diş teknisyenlerinin enfeksiyon kontrolü ile ilgili farkındalık ve bilgi düzeylerini aynı zamanda diş hekimleriyle iletişim düzeyini belirlemeye yönelik 25 sorudan oluşmaktadır. Verilerin analizi, SPSS 25 programı (IBM Corp., ABD) kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Kategorik değişkenlere verilen cevapların oranları arasındaki farkların test edilmesinde Tek Örneklem Ki-Kare testi uygulanmıştır.
Bulgular: Katılımcılar, %68,9’u 18-25 yaş aralığındadır ve %68,9’u da 0-5 yıllık mesleki tecrübeye sahiptir. Özel bir diş laboratuvarında çalışanların oranı %36,7 olarak bulunmuştur. Laboratuvarda yapılan işleri diş hekimine göndermeden önce her zaman dezenfekte edenlerin oranı %64,4, dezenfeksiyonu diş hekimi yardımcısı yapmalıdır diyenlerin oranı 58,0’dir. Hepatit B aşısı olanların oranı %71,3, COVID-19 aşısı olanların oranı ise %83,7'dir. Katılımcıların %51,1'i enfeksiyon kontrolü ile ilgili bilgilerini COVID-19 pandemisi sonrası güncellemiştir. Özellikle, dezenfeksiyon yöntemlerinin uygulanma süreleri, kullanılan koruyucu ekipmanlar ve diş hekimleri ile iletişimde önemli farklar bulunmuştur (p<0,05).
Sonuç: Çapraz enfeksiyonu önlemek için diş teknisyenlerinin enfeksiyon kontrolüne yönelik mevcut uygulamalarındaki eksiklikleri giderilerek farkındalıkları artırılmalıdır. Diş teknisyenleri teorik olarak enfeksiyon kontrol yönergelerinin ve protokollerinin farkında olsalar bile bu kuralları pratikte doğru uygulamalarının sağlanması önemlidir. Bunun için sürekli mesleki eğitim programları düzenlenerek güncel dezenfeksiyon yöntemleri öğretilmelidir. Ayrıca diş hekimleri ile diş teknisyenleri arasında etkin iletişimin güçlendirilmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Çapraz enfeksiyon , Diş Teknisyeni , diş laboratuvarı , bilgi

Evaluatıon Of Awareness, Attıtude, And Knowledge Levels Of Dental Technıcıans Regardıng Cross-Contamınatıon Control After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Öz

ABSTRACT
Objective: Dental materials that are passed back and forth between dental clinics and laboratories during the construction of dental restorations are among the most common causes of cross-infection. If these materials are not disinfected, they may pose a risk of infection for the dentist, dental technician, and patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitudes of a group of dental technicians working in Turkey about cross-infection control, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the quality of communication between them and their dentists.
Method: The study was conducted between January 2024 and April 2024 through an online questionnaire sent to dental technicians (n:91) working in various institutions. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data and 25 questions to determine the level of awareness and knowledge of dental technicians about infection control as well as the level of communication with dentists. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 25 program (IBM Corp., USA). One Sample Chi-Square test was applied to test the differences between the rates of the answers given to categorical variables.
Results: 68.9% of the participants were between 18 and 25 years of age, and 68.9% had 0-5 years of professional experience. The proportion working in a private dental laboratory was 36.7%. The rate of those who always disinfect the work done in the laboratory before sending it to the dentist is 64.4%, and the rate of those who say that the dentist's assistant should do the disinfection is 58.0%. The rate of those vaccinated against hepatitis B was 71.3%, and the rate of those vaccinated against COVID-19 was 83.7%. 51.1% of the participants updated their knowledge on infection control after the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant differences were found especially in the application times of disinfection methods, protective equipment used, and communication with dentists (p<0.05).
Conclusion: To prevent cross-infection, dental technicians' awareness should be increased by eliminating the deficiencies in their current practices regarding infection control. Even if dental technicians are theoretically aware of infection control guidelines and protocols, it is important to ensure that they apply these rules correctly in practice. For this, current disinfection methods should be taught by organizing continuous vocational training programs. It is also recommended to strengthen effective communication between dentists and dental technicians.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Cross infection , dental technician , dental laboratory , knowledge

Kaynakça

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