Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2019 Jan;36(1):20-25. 10.12701/yujm.2019.00052.

Awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists

• Choi HJ
• Hwang TY
• Jeon MJ

• KMID: 2434095
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2019.00052

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists (DHs).
METHODS
A total of 271 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 280 DHs working at dental hospitals or clinics in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.
RESULTS
The occupational hazards included work involving dust (94.1%), volatile substances (86.0%), noise (97.0%), and light-curing units (96.7%). The proportion of dental hygiene tasks that participants perceived as harmful were 42.4%, 51.7%, 9.2%, and 31.4% in the same order as above. The proportion of participants who used dust-proof masks during work involving dust was 1.1%. Those who wore gas-proof masks and gloves for work using volatile substances were 0.7% and 31.2%, respectively. Participants who used goggles for work involving light-curing units were 31.0%. None of the participants used ear plugs for work involving noise. A total of 22.9% of the participants recognized the Material Safety Data Sheet, while 79.7% had never been educated about harmful work environments.
CONCLUSION
When compared to exposure status and perception of occupational hazards, the level of protective equipment use was very low. Extra measures to increase DHs' use of personal protective equipment are necessary.

Keyword

Dental hygienists; Occupations; Personal protective equipment

MeSH Terms

Daegu
Dental Hygienists*
Dust
Ear
Eye Protective Devices
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Humans
Korea
Masks
Material Safety Data Sheets
Noise
Occupations
Oral Hygiene
Personal Protective Equipment*
Dust

Reference

References

1. Goldman HS, Hartman KS, Messite J. Occupational hazards in dentistry. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers;1984.

2. Leggat PA, Kedjarune U, Smith DR. Occupational health problems in modern dentistry: a review. Ind Health. 2007; 45:611–21.

3. Farahat SA, Rashed LA, Zawilla NH, Farouk SM. Effect of occupational exposure to elemental mercury in the amalgam on thymulin hormone production among dental staff. Toxicol Ind Health. 2009; 25:159–67.

4. Park KH, Kim HJ. The relationship between noise awareness, hearing ability, and dental hygiene performance in dental hygienists. J Korean Soc Dent Hyg. 2015; 15:11–7. Korean.

5. Farrier SL, Farrier JN, Gilmour AS. Eye safety in operative dentistry – a study in general dental practice. Br Dent J. 2006; 200:218–23.

6. Chugh A. Occupational hazards in prosthetic dentistry. Dentistry. 2017; 7:410.

7. Leggat PA, Kedjarune U. Toxicity of methyl methacrylate in dentistry. Int Dent J. 2003; 53:126–31.

8. Jang HJ. Work-related symptoms and recognition of industrial accident compensation insurance among dental hygienists [dissertation]. Seoul: Yonsei University;2005. 13.

9. Lee JS, Han YS, Cho YS. The noise level assessment of dental equipment. J Dent Hyg Sci. 2015; 15:603–11.

10. Nam YS, Yoo JS, Park MS. A study on actual conditions for prevention of infections by dental hygienists. J Dent Hyg Sci. 2007; 7:1–7.

11. Park JH, Heo NS, Song HJ. A study of current infection control by dental hygienists and related factors. J Korean Soc Dent Hyg. 2011; 11:993–1003.

12. Kim HR, Park MR, Sung HJ, Jo CY, Ryu HG. Perception and implementation for dental infection control in Busan, Kyung Nam areas. J Korean Acad Dent Hyg. 2012; 14:11–21.

13. Lee SY, Ko HJ. Related factors of musculoskeletal symptoms of neck and shoulder among dental hygienists. J Korean Acad Dent Hyg. 2011; 13:385–95.

14. Kim MA, Seo HJ. Dental hygienists work on the impact of factors associated with musculoskeletal pain. J Dent Hyg Sci. 2012; 12:558–65.

15. Song K, Kim MJ. The study on musculoskeletal system pain management practice. J Korean Acad Dent Hyg. 2013; 15:75–88.

16. Kim BT, Choi HY, Moon SJ. Research on the subjective symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders for dental hygienists in Daegu. Korean Soc Health Serv Manag. 2014; 8:121–30.

17. Moon AE. The relationship between working environment factors and stress and musculoskeletal disorders in dental hygienists. J Dent Hyg Sci. 2015; 15:472–9.

18. Kim HK, Choi SJ. Hazard communication of dental materials for dental hygienists in Daegu or Gyeongsangbuk-do province area. J Korean Soc Occup Environ Hyg. 2015; 25:506–15.

19. Choi JO. A health questionnaire survey on self reported symptoms of dental hygienists [dissertation]. Seoul: Hanyang University;2008. 5.

20. Kim YS, Shin MW. A study on the current state and weight of dental hygienists’ works. J Korean Acad Dental Hyg Edu. 2008; 8:161–75.

21. Kim KO, Kim HO, Park SH, Han YH, Um LS, Lee SM. Effects of dental treatment noise on the hearing of dental hygienists. J Korean Acad Dent Admin. 2013; 1:61–76.

22. Park KH, Kim HJ. The relationship between noise awareness, hearing ability, and dental hygiene performance in dental hygienists. J Korean Soc Dent Hyg. 2015; 15:11–7.

23. Jeong MK, Lee JY, Kang YJ. A study on the knowledge and attitude of dental hygienists for infection control in dental clinic. J Korean Soc Dent Hyg. 2010; 10:935–45.

24. Ministry of Employment and Labor. Occupational safety and health act [Internet]. Sejong: Ministry of Employment and Labor;2017. [cited 2018 May 23]. http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=193408&efYd=20171019#.

25. Ryu MH. Cross-infection in dental clinic and infection control. J Namseoul Univ. 2005; 11:157–72.

26. Hwang JH. Knowledge and compliance with infection control among dental hygienists [dissertation]. Seoul: Yonsei University;2008. 21–2.