COMMUNITY DENTISTRY SCHOOL

Background: Hand hygiene is a critical preventive measure in healthcare ,reducing the transmission of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs).Despite its importance ,compliance among healthcare workers remains inconsistent ,particularly in resource -constrained settings. Objective: To assess the knowledge,practice,attitude,andcompliancetowardshandhygieneamonghealthcare workers in Oluku community, Benin City. Methodology: Across- sectional study was conducted among 116 healthcare workers from public and private Facilities in Oluku community. Data was collected using structured questionnaires addressing knowledge, practice, compliance, and factors influencing hand hygiene. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed, with significance set atp<0.05.
Results: The study included 116 health care workers, with females comprising 65.5% and the majority aged between 31-40years(40.5%). Knowledge of hand hygiene was high, with 81.0% demonstrating good knowledge, predominantly obtained through workshops(85.3%). Good hand hygiene practices were reported by 85.3%, with 54.3% consistently adhering to the WHO’s five moments of hand hygiene. Compliance was highest a fter exposure to body fluids(93.1%) and lowest before patient interaction(50.9%). Alcohol- based hand sanitizers were regularly used by 87.9%, and 94.0% washed hands with soap and water. Factor s affecting compliance included the unavailability of soap(59.5%), lack of reminders(57.8%),and busy s chedules(51.7%). Public facility workers exhibited higher adherence compared to private facility workers(p<0.05).
Conclusion: The study revealed good knowledge and practice of hand hygiene among healthcare worker s in Oluku community ,but compliance with key protocols was sub optimal. Addressing barriers could enhance adherence and reduce HCAIs.

Dental caries is a common chronic infectious resulting from tooth-adherent cariogenic bacteria, primarily Streptococcus Mutans, which metabolize sugars to produce acid, demineralizing the tooth structure over time. Dental caries is one of the commonest childhood disease. In general, the prevalence of caries in preschool children seems to be on the decline or the trend has reached a plateau in most of the developed countries, but may be increasing in some developed and several developing countries. A considerable proportion of preschoolers thus are still affected by dental caries. A sample size of 100 caregivers of pre-school children of the University of Benin Staff school were used. A stratified questionnaire focusing on the knowledge and attitude to Dental Caries risk factors was filled by all respondents with 51.7% knowing the meaning of Dental Caries and 48.3% not knowing the meaning of Dental Caries An understanding of caries risk factors in preschoolers is essential in controlling the prevalence of dental caries in this age group. This is the main objective of our research.