microbial contamination of the white coats of dental staff in the clinical setting

background and aims. although wearing a white coat is an accepted part of medical and dental practice, it is a potential source of cross-infection. the objective of this study was to determine the level and type of microbial contamination present on the white coats of dental interns, graduate students and faculty in a dental clinic. materials and methods. questionnaire and cross-sectional survey of the bacterial contamination of white coats in two predetermined areas (chest and pocket) on the white coats were done in a rural dental care center. paired sample t-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. results. 60.8% of the participants reported washing their white coats once a week. grading by the examiner revealed 15.7% dirty white coats. also, 82.5% of the interns showed bacterial contamination of their white coats compared to 74.7% graduate students and 75% faculty members irrespective of the area examined. however, chest area was consistently a more bacteriologically contaminated site as compared to the pocket area. antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed resistant varieties of microorganisms against amoxicillin (60%), erythromycin (42.5%) and cotrimoxazole (35.2%). conclusion. the white coats seem to be a potential source of cross-infection in the dental setting. the bacterial contamination carried by white coats, as demonstrated in this study, supports the ban on white coats from non-clinical areas.