Assessment of Anti-hepatitis B Antibody Titration and Related Factors in Students of Faculty of Dentistry of Gilan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction Hepatitis B is a viral infectious disease in humans, mostly damages the liver. Given that dentistry students as a part of a community of therapists are always at high risk and likely to transmit diseases through blood and saliva, this study aimed to evaluate the antibody titer against hepatitis B and its related factors in students of the Faculty of Dentistry, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, in 2017. Materials and Methods In this descriptive and analytical study, 100 dental students of Gilan University of Medical Sciences participated. After obtaining their informed consent, a checklist of their demographic information, the clinical history, and vaccination was completed. Blood samples were taken from each person, and the hepatitis B antibody was used to determine titration. The obtained data were analyzed by the t test, Chi-squared, and Fisher's exact test in SPSS-22. Results Of all the subjects, 48 were female, and 52 male. The mean ± SD age of male and female samples were 23.71 ± 1.75 and 22.73 ± 0.86 years, respectively. The anti-hepatitis B antibody titer was more than 100 mLU/mL in 47 samples, between 100 and 10 mLU/mL in 32 samples, and lower than 10 mLU/mL in 21 samples. There was a significant relationship between the titration of anti-hepatitis B antibodies in the subjects and the variables of gender, date, and doses of vaccination. Conclusion Although all subjects received the hepatitis B vaccine, about 20% of them did not have an adequate level of immunity against the disease. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure the safety of these individuals.