Seropositivity for Hepatitis B Virus, Vaccination Status and Response to Vaccine in a Cohort of Dental Students

摘要

Background: The development of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been a major achievement in terms of prevention of HBV infection. To evaluate the immunological status against HBV of dental-profession students, we analysed the long-term immunogenicity and effectiveness of HBV vaccination in Italian dental students with different work seniorities, determining the influence of epidemiological variables on the immune response. Methods: This study, carried out from January 2014 to April 2016, involved 361 under- and post-graduate dental students attending the Second University of Naples. HBV serum markers were determined and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the level of long-term immunogenicity. Results: Of the 361 subjects evaluated, 15 (4.2%) declared no history of vaccination. All vaccinated subjects were HBsAg/anti-HBc negative, with 86 (24.9%) having an anti-HBs titre <10 IU/L. The latter were younger, more likely to be attending undergraduate dental school, and more likely to have been vaccinated in infancy. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that assessment of HBV serum markers in workers potentially exposed to hospital infections is useful to identify small numbers of unvaccinated subjects or vaccinated subjects with low antibody titre, all of whom should be referred for a booster series of vaccinations.