title: The origins of fear of occupational exposure in the clinical dental setting.
abstract: Although there is a growing literature on the incidence of occurrence and reporting of occupational exposures in clinics in dental schools, the contributing factors to fear of such injuries and their dynamic evolution over time remain unstudied. It is hypothesized that fear of occupational exposures is a function of estimated likelihood of such events and their perceived importance. Individual personality factors and situational circumstances are also thought to play a role, although it is believed that these factors recede in importance as students gain direct knowledge through clinical experience. Path analysis methods are applied to longitudinal survey data in a single dental school to confirm these hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. dchambers@pacific.edu
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Nader A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Nadershahi
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D003740:Dental Clinics; D005239:Fear; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011336:Probability; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*