Earrings: An Obscured Source of Cross- Contamination in Dental Clinics of India

Purpose: This study aimed to check for the bacterial contamination of earrings worn by female dentists involved in direct patient care. Method: This cross-sectional microbiological study was carried out among female dentists working in clinical departments of a tertiary care dental hospital. A questionnaire concerning awareness regarding the donning of ornaments as possible source of contamination was administered. It also included questions on measures taken to prevent cross contamination through earrings and methods for disinfection of earrings used if any. Two swabs from each participant were taken, one from the earring and other from the underlying skin site using a sterile microbial swab moistened in saline. The samples were then dispensed into 1 ml of sterile water by vortexing for 45s. The vortexed sample was then inoculated onto Blood Agar. The inoculated plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37˚C aerobically. Further examination was done for the count of bacteria, type of bacteria and antibiotic sensitivity. Result: In total 90 swabs, 45 each from earring and underlying skin were cultured for microorganisms. All the (100%) samples were positive for bacterial contamination. The swabs obtained from underlying skin sites were found to have significantly higher microbial load. (p-value = 0.008). Sixty two percent (62%) of the participants were aware of earrings being a possible source of contamination and 55% had the knowledge that ornaments are supposed to be removed while working in patient clinics. Only 5% practiced removing the ornaments which included bangles/bracelets, rings and watches. None reported to have removed earrings while working in clinics. Conclusion: The results of this study show that earrings are potential source of cross contamination in a dental setting. This can act as nidus for colonization of bacteria and possible source for nosocomial infections and pathogenic transmission.