Immunization against respiratory viruses among dental surgeons: high personal coverage, low involvement in vaccine promotionThis study evaluated self-reported immunization coverage against respiratory viruses among dental surgeons and analyzed whether adherence was associated with vaccine-N promotion behaviors in clinical practice. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between January and April 2025 among dentists registered with the São Paulo Regional Council of Dentistry (CROSP). Of approximately 98,000 dentists, 604 (≈0.6 %) returned responses. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, vaccination status for COVID-19, influenza, and hepatitis B, and professional behaviors related to vaccine promotion was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, without verification of immunization cards. Among 604 participants, adherence was high for COVID-19 primary vaccination (95.2 %), at least one booster dose (90.9 %), and hepatitis B (81.0 %), whereas annual influenza vaccination fell below the ≥ 90 % threshold used to define high coverage (61.1 %). Professional behaviors were less frequent: 17.7 % routinely asked patients about vaccination, 36.2 % actively recommended vaccines, and 17.3 % verified staff vaccination. Questioning patients was positively associated with recommending vaccines (ρ = 0.248; p < 0.001) and remained independently associated with it in multivariable analysis (adjusted OR = 4.02; 95 % CI 2.53‒6.40; p < 0.001). Coverage was heterogeneous and few professionals translated adherence into vaccine-promotion practices. Integrating vaccine assessment into dental anamnesis and strengthening policies for staff vaccination are opportunities to align dental practice with public health goals.
Keywords
Dentists; Vaccination; Influenza vaccines; COVID-19 vaccines