Nasal screening of dental students as MRSA carriers – an institutional study

Dr. Shanly J John; Dr. Gopinath Prakasan; Sandeep P M; Dr Anuradha E Sunil; Dr Archana Mukunda; Dr Sadiya RV

Volume : IX, Issue : VI, June - 2019

Nasal screening of dental students as MRSA carriers – an institutional study

Dr. Shanly J John, Dr. Gopinath Prakasan, Sandeep P M, Dr Anuradha E Sunil, Dr Archana Mukunda, Dr Sadiya Rv

Abstract :

Introduction: Injudicious use of antibiotics in clinical settings has developed resistant strains of micro organism known as MRSA. Nasal carriage of MRSA has been noted among professional as well as general population posing a significant threat of transmission including the dental professionals. Objective: To detect the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in nasal swabs from dental students Material and methods: This study was conducted on 100 dental students of our institution involving both undergraduates and post graduates. The nasal swabs were used to collect materials from anterior nares which were cultured on Mannitol salt agar. Staphylococcus aureus colonies grown on the agar plates were checked for MRSA positive using Cefotoxin disc diffusion test. Results: Among 100 students 4 students were found to MRSA positive of which 3 were undergraduates and 1 post graduate. Conclusion: It has been shown that MRSA has been found to be prevalent even among dental professionals due to their clinical exposure and hence emphasis should be placed on prevention of the lesions and control measures.