Saman Malik^1*, Shafaq Malik², Faiqa Hassan¹

¹Dental College, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila, Pakistan

²Frontier Medical & Dental College, Abbottabad, Pakistan

*Corresponding address: Dental College, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila, Pakistan

Email: somey_hassan@hotmail.com

Received: 02 March 2026 / Revised: 04 June 2026 / Accepted: 15 June 2026 / Available Online: 26 June 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63137/jsteam.865304

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains an occupational risk for dental health care providers due to exposure to blood, saliva, sharp instruments, and contaminated surfaces. Although vaccination is effective, completion of the three-dose schedule is often inconsistent. This study aims to determine the self-reported hepatitis B vaccination status of dental faculty, staff, and clinically exposed dental students at five dental colleges in Pakistan, and to compare complete vaccination coverage across participant categories.

Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year. A census-style, consecutive sample of eligible participants, comprising faculty members, staff, third-year dental students, and final-year dental students, was included. Participants who reported receiving all three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine were classified as fully vaccinated. In comparison, those who did not report completion of three doses were classified as not fully vaccinated. The primary outcome was self-reported complete vaccination status, not serologically confirmed immunity. Descriptive statistics, chi-square testing, Cramer’s V, and unadjusted odds ratios were used for analysis.

Results: Overall, 395 of 1,038 participants were fully vaccinated, giving a vaccination coverage of 38.1%. Vaccination coverage was 42.0% among faculty, 33.2% among staff, 46.1% among third-year students, and 32.0% among final-year students. Participant category was significantly associated with vaccination status, χ² = 13.81, p = 0.003. Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons showed significant differences between staff and third-year students and between third-year and final-year students. Compared with faculty, staff had 8.8 percentage points lower vaccination coverage, and final-year students had 10.1 percentage points lower coverage. Among students, vaccination coverage declined significantly from the third year to the final year (χ² for trend = 8.15, p = 0.004).

Conclusion: Self-reported completion of hepatitis B vaccination was suboptimal across all participant groups. The findings support the need for a structured institutional vaccination pathway, verification of vaccine records where feasible, reminder systems for dose completion, and post-vaccination anti-HBs testing for individuals with ongoing clinical exposure.

Keywords: Hepatitis B; Vaccination status; Dental healthcare workers; Dental students; Occupational health; Cross-sectional study

Data Availability: The data supporting this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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How to Cite: Malik S, Malik S, Hassan F. Self-Reported Hepatitis B Vaccination Status among Dental Health Care Providers and Students at Dental Colleges. J Sci Technol Educ Art Med. 2026;3(1):63-71