Perception of vaccination by adult patients consulting at the consultation and dental emergency service

The activity of dentists has certain particularities. It involves a large number of invasive acts, is particularly exposed to blood and biological products and uses complex instruments in a naturally septic environment. Aware of this, dentists implement a set of procedures to ensure the safety of patients and the healthcare team, vaccination remains the best means of prevention with a dual role: to protect staff and patient consultants. Thus, the objective of this work is to evaluate the perception of vaccination by adult patient consultants at the level of the consultation service and dental emergencies, CHU IBN ROCHD Casablanca. This is a cross-sectional study with an analytical focus, carried out at the Dental Consultation and Emergency Department, CHU IBN ROCHD Casablanca, between 29 October and 07 December 2018. Patients voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire that collected patients' socio-professional characteristics, vaccination status, knowledge of vaccinations and adherence or reluctance to vaccination. The study was conducted with 200 patients, more than half of whom do not have a health/vaccination record and have never had a booster vaccination. This is explained by the lack of knowledge on the seriousness of infectious diseases, as well as the risk of transmission in healthcare settings, and in particular tetanus disease, all of which is unaware of the mode of transmission and the risk of contamination associated with invasive procedures performed in dental care settings. Only 9% of the patients questioned are reluctant to be vaccinated, which explains why the non-vaccination of patients is linked to the lack of knowledge of the risks associated with the latter, since not all patients are aware of the vaccines required in Morocco, nor of the necessary vaccines before performing dental treatment and for which tetanus is an obligation. All these results suggest that the approach to be followed to improve patient information and awareness levels should be reviewed in order to increase vaccination coverage and avoid contamination related to health care services, particularly dental care.