Hepatitis-B Virus (HBV) infection is a serious health problem that can be prevented by vaccination. Dental Health Care Workers (DHCWs) are at-risk of occupational exposure to HBV infection. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of HBV and evaluate the immune response to hepatitis B vaccine among DHCWs in Dental Teaching Hospital, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 139 DHCWs, 71 males and 68 females. Blood samples were collected and the levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) were measured by Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay. The prevalence of HBV among DHCWs was zero (0.0%). The hepatitis B vaccine was given to 95% of DHCWs. Among the vaccinated participants, 90.1% (n=119) have protective immunity to hepatitis B. An inverse correlation between anti-HBs levels and increasing the duration of vaccination (P < 0.0001) was found. We compared the anti-HBs levels in 28 students who received childhood vaccine and revaccinated at age of 21. The anti-HBs concentration was greater than 10mIU/mL (protected) in 17.9% of those who had childhood vaccine compared to 100% one-year after revaccination. The mean of anti-HBs levels for childhood vaccine was 5.6 mIU/mL and these levels increased significantly to 620 mIU/mL after recent revaccination (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, Hepatitis B vaccine is effective in prevention of HBV infection among DHCWs. Non-protected individuals should be identified and revaccinated.
Copyright© by the Egyptian Association of Immunologists.