Attitudes of general dental practitioners towards the hepatitis B vaccine

A postal survey of 295 general dental practitioners (GDP's) in the Greater Glasgow Area Health Board was undertaken to assess their acceptance and attitudes towards the plasma derived hepatitis B vaccine. Only 17% of the 144 dental practitioners who responded to the questionnaire had received the vaccine. Practitioners' reservations concerning their acceptance of the vaccine ranged from fear of side effects including AIDS, high cost and fear of recognition as a hepatitis B carrier. Forty-one percent of GDP's knowingly treated 'low risk' hepatitis B patients in their practices. When questioned of their knowledge of the other related viral causes of hepatitis, 59% were aware of non-A non-B hepatitis while only 8% were aware of delta hepatitis. In general, the survey indicated that the present hepatitis B vaccine has not been widely accepted by GDP's and general awareness of the causative agents of viral hepatitis is lacking.