Assessment of microbial strains contaminating the white coat of preclinical and clinical dental students – A comparative cross-sectional study

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify the microbial strains contaminating the white coats of pre-clinical and clinical dental students through microbial culture from swabs of the coat. In addition, the study intended to create awareness regarding the contaminated attire among the students. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 students working in the clinical and preclinical labs in the institution. The microbial contamination on the white coat was assessed from swabs using blood agar and MacConkey agar standard techniques. A structured questionnaire was given to the participants to collect demographic data and details about their wearing habits, laundering habits, the habit of exchanging coats, and self-grading about the cleanliness of the white coats. The white coats of the clinical students were more contaminated than preclinical students. Chest area 52% (n = 26) of preclinical students was less contaminated than clinical students 80% (n = 40). Gram-positive bacilli 24% (n = 12) were more predominant followed by Gram-negative Cocci 20% (n = 10) in white coats of the study participants. The authors concluded that the white coats of preclinical and clinical dental students were significantly contaminated with microbes. Although the awareness of microbial contamination of white coats among the dental students was high, their casual attitude to the coats being a mode of transmission of infection was observed. The study highlighted the importance of implementing government and institution protocols for coat hygiene.