{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T17:37:57Z","timestamp":1786556277186,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Needlestick and sharp injuries (NSIs) are a significant occupational hazard for dental practitioners, carrying a substantial risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and factors associated with NSI exposures among dental practitioners in Sana'a, Yemen.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Materials and methods<\/jats:title>\n An online survey was conducted among dental practitioners at university dental hospitals, public health centers, and private clinics in Sana'a, Yemen. The self-administered questionnaire collected information on demographic background, history of NSIs, post-exposure practices, infection control compliance, and perceptions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with lifetime NSI.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n The lifetime prevalence of NSI was 88.18% (373\/423). Among those with NSI, 36.19% reported one injury in the past 12 months, and 24.66% reported four or more injuries. The most common device was the syringe needle (61.66%), and the most frequent procedure was local anesthesia administration (39.14%). Only 11.26% of injured participants underwent post-exposure testing for bloodborne viruses, and only 9.38% received post-exposure prophylaxis. In multivariable analysis, treating more than 12 patients per day was independently associated with increased odds of NSI (adjusted odds ratio 3.50; 95% CI 1.45\u20138.46;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.005). No other demographic, infection control practice, or resource variable remained significant after adjustment.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n The extremely high prevalence of NSI among dental practitioners in Sana'a, Yemen, together with very low uptake of post-exposure measures, represents a critical occupational safety failure. High patient volume emerged as a potentially modifiable associated factor. Interventions should be evaluated to prioritize workload management, universal access to safety-engineered devices, and systematic post-exposure protocols, alongside educational efforts to counter the perception that NSIs are inevitable.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1876433","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T05:33:35Z","timestamp":1783920815000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Needlestick and sharps Injuries among dental practitioners: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, risk factors, and postexposure management"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Basem H.","family":"AL-Huthaifi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]},{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana'a University","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ehab M.","family":"Abdu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]},{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana'a University","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdullmalik N.","family":"Al-Hamati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sciences and Technology","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baker M.","family":"Abdullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana'a University","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khalid","family":"Aldhorae","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]},{"name":"Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Thamar University","place":["Thamar, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taghreed A.","family":"Al-kibsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana'a University","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed A.","family":"Al-labani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontic Department, College of Dentistry, University of Sciences and Technology","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed M.","family":"Al Moaleem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, Jazan University","place":["Jazan, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emad M.","family":"Shaamala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Informatics Program, Department of Computer Science, Metropolitan College, Boston University","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alia M.","family":"Alshatter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Doa'a W.","family":"Alguneed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shahad M.","family":"Almatari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maram N.","family":"Al-Sanfi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatima A.","family":"Al-Dheeb","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, Yemen"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maram A.","family":"Al-Hajri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ibn Al-Nafis University for Medical Sciences","place":["Sana'a, 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