Infection control practices in Indian dental clinics: A cross-sectional study.

Inadequate infection control in dental clinics increases occupational and patient risk of blood-borne and aerosol-transmitted infections. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate infection control awareness and practices among 70 private dental clinics in India using a standardized questionnaire based on CDC guidelines. Overall adherence was moderate, with significant gaps in aerosol management, post- exposure protocols, sterilization practices and vaccination awareness. MDS-qualified practitioners demonstrated significantly higher compliance than BDS practitioners across multiple domains (p<0.05). Thus, we show the need for structured continuing education, stricter protocol enforcement and standardized infection control monitoring in private dental settings.