Dental care staff's experience with risk assessment of dental erosion: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The risk assessment of dental erosion among children and adolescents is an important aspect of dental care, as dental erosion constitutes a rapidly growing, global problem. Dental professionals rely solely on their own perception, as the current risk assessment process is not completely automatized, which affects the risk assessment reliability. AIM: To explore dental professionals' experiences with risk assessment of dental erosion among children and adolescents. METHOD: In-depth interview was used as data collection method. A total of 11 dental professionals were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The findings were summarized in the categories Professionals' responsibility, Systematic approach , and Collaboration and communication. Dental staff perceived that their basic knowledge regarding erosion should be improved, and skills development was desired to reduce the knowledge gaps around the risk assessment of dental erosion. They alleged that the systematic approach could be improved by reducing workplace stress, implementing a universal dental erosion index, improving the existing risk assessment software, and automating the risk assessment of the condition. Dental professionals also experienced a need to calibrate and collaborate with each other and with other healthcare professionals to improve patient care. CONCLUSION: Dental professionals experienced their basic knowledge of dental erosion and their risk assessment as good, but a more advanced skill development was required. Furthermore, they experienced the risk assessment software as a good tool that should be improved to compile more objective risk assessment. A universal erosion index was also requested.

Exploring the usability of simulated patient methodology in dental clinics in Western Australia: A pilot survey.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the dental staff knowledge of simulated patient methodology and support for its use to investigate dental staffs' triaging ability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Staff at dental practices in Western Australia were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online questionnaire, consisting of demographic questions, questions on triaging, and knowledge of simulated patient methodology. Descriptive and parametric tests were undertaken for quantitative data; qualitative responses were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 100 participants, most were female (71%), aged 25-39 years (57%), dentists (46%), and worked in private practices (60%). While 82% of participants triaged dental appointment enquiries, only 26% had heard of simulated patient studies. The majority (66%) of participants spent 1-5 min when triaging appointments and less than half (29%) asked about medical history, aggravating or alleviating factors. Although there was a general positive attitude toward use of simulated patient methodology to investigate practice, some concerns were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our exploratory study suggests that there may be a potential for utilizing simulated patient studies to improve the care of patients by dental receptionists in general dental practices.

Prevalence of Occupational Contact Dermatitis Among Dental Personnel Using the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire-2002: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Occupational skin disease (OSD), such as contact dermatitis, is widespread among dental professionals; however, reports regarding its prevalence have inconsistent findings and methodology. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using a self-reported questionnaire to estimate the prevalence of work-related and occupational exposure-induced skin diseases. METHODOLOGY: A self-administered questionnaire, based on the validated Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire-2002, was distributed to 15 dental clinics in Israel in the first half of 2022. The questionnaire included questions about the occupation, exposure, and history of atopic disease, dry skin, and hand/arm and wrist eczema, as well as participant demographics. RESULTS: Overall, 312 dental professionals completed the questionnaires. Response rate was 80%. The lifetime prevalence of self-reported skin symptoms was 19.23%. Significant risk factors included exposure to metal objects, odds ratio (OR): 2.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.02, 5.78]; p < .05, dry skin (OR: 3.54, 95% CI: [1.93, 6.5]; p < .001), itching when sweating (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: [1.39, 6]; p < .05), contact urticaria (OR: 10.67, 95% CI: [4.46, 25.49]; p < .001), hay fever (OR: 2.25, 95% CI: [1.14, 4.42]; p < .05), allergic symptoms (OR; 2.33, 95% CI: [1.18, 4.58]; p < .05), and asthma (OR: 4.8, 95% CI: [2.17, 10.36]; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to use the NOSQ-2002 among dental professionals. Our study provides a better understanding of the prevalence and consequences of OSDs among dental personnel by utilizing the validated tool NOSQ-2002.

[Investigation and analysis of the current situation of dental technical professionals in Shanghai medical institutions].

PURPOSE: To investigate the current situation of dental technical personnel team in medical institutions in Shanghai, and to provide reference for the construction of dental technical discipline and development of dental personnel team in the National Center for Stomatology (Shanghai). METHODS: Random sample questionnaire and expert interviews were used to find out the awareness, satisfaction and improvement suggestions of dental technicians among physicians, nursing and medical technicians in medical institutions in Shanghai. RESULTS: Among the positions engaged in by dental technicians, dental prosthetic technician, dental radiology technician and laboratory technician were the three most important positions at present, 62.3% of doctors and nurses were satisfied with the work of dental technicians, while 56.2% of dental medical technicians were generally or relatively unsatisfied with their current work. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to increase training and education opportunities for dental technicians, improve the talent echelon, introduce high-level talents, improve the working environment and treatment, broaden promotion channels, strengthen communication and exchange with medical care, and build a first-class medical technical personnel team that is compatible with the clinical level of stomatology.

Patch test results in dental staff with dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Dental workers are exposed to allergenic materials in the workplace. OBJECTIVES: To summarize patch test results in dental staff with work-related dermatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study of dental staff with dermatitis was conducted. Symptoms, clinical findings and results from patch tests with 40 dental allergens were summarized. RESULTS: Of 329 participants, 155 (47.1%) had at least one positive patch reaction. The highest frequency of positive reactions was observed for metals (38.6%), acrylics (7.3%) and additives in acrylic resins (3.6%). One hundred and eighty-five (56.2%) participants were currently symptomatic; in this group, 79 (42.7%) had current dermatitis. Thirty-eight patients had at least one positive patch test considered occupationally related to their current dermatitis. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the dental staff with dermatitis had at least one positive patch test and approximately 12% had current occupational relevance of the allergens. Our results underscore the importance of patch testing in the evaluation of dental staff with dermatitis.

María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez, primera mujer dentista en Lajas, Cienfuegos / María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez, first woman dentist in Lajas, Cienfuegos

Introducción: Numerosas mujeres han contribuido al desarrollo de la estomatología en Cuba y en Cienfuegos. Sin embargo, en este sentido, existen escasas fuentes locales que aborden el accionar de las féminas. Objetivo: Profundizar en la vida y obra de la Dra. María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez, de manera que se puedan rescatar elementos de la evolución histórica de la estomatología cienfueguera. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación de tipo histórico-biográfica en el período de octubre del 2016 a diciembre del 2020. Como forma de reseñar la historia se emplearon las memorias. Los métodos utilizados fueron analítico-sintético y deductivo-inductivo; y los submétodos empleados fueron el cronológico, la numismática, la diplomática y la iconografía. Para recolectar datos se emplearon técnicas de la investigación histórica: la revisión documental y las entrevistas. Como fuentes primarias de la investigación se consultaron documentos histórico-legales en el Registro del Estado Civil (2), y en la Universidad de La Habana (1), así como entrevistas orales a profundidad (13), con testimonios de informantes clave. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica, con cuatro referencias de artículos y libros. Resultados: María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez fue la primera mujer lajera dentista -negra además-, graduada en 1944, de clase media. Tuvo un accionar revolucionario notorio, posterior a 1959. Se destaca la donación de todos sus instrumentos al policlínico "Manuel Piti Fajardo" de Cruces, del cual fue dentista fundadora. Conclusiones: La vocación de la primera dentista lajera por la pedagogía y su compromiso con la causa revolucionaria fueron elementos de vital importancia en el desarrollo de la estomatología crucense(AU)

Introduction: Numerous women have contributed to the development of stomatology in Cuba and in Cienfuegos. However, in this sense, few local sources broach the lives of these women. Objective: To deepen in the life and work of Dr. María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez, so that elements of the historical evolution of Cienfuegos stomatology can be rescued. Methods: A historical-biographical research was carried out from October 2016 to December 2020. Memoirs were used as a way of reviewing the history. The methods used were analytical-synthetic and deductive-inductive; and the sub-methods employed were chronological, numismatic, diplomatic and iconographic. Historical research techniques were used to collect data: documentary review and interviews. As primary sources of the research, historical-legal documents were consulted at the Civil Status Registry (2), and at the University of Havana (1), as well as oral interviews (13), with testimonies of key informants. A bibliographic search was carried out, with four references of articles and books. Results: María Narcisa Isacia Agramonte Jiménez was the first middle class female dentist from Lajas -also black-, graduated in 1944. She had an active revolutionary presence, after 1959. The donation of all her dental equipment to the "Manuel Piti Fajardo" polyclinic in Cruces, of which she was the founding dentist, stands out. Conclusions: The vocation of the first dentist from La Paz for pedagogy and her commitment to the revolutionary cause were elements of vital importance in the development of stomatology in Cruces(AU)

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression, perceived stress and hypochondria of frontline dental staff (FDS): A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had several mental effects on medical staff. OBJECTIVE: This study intended to evaluate deviations in Frontline Dental Staff (FDS) depression, perceived stress and hypochondria during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to assess whether the existence of potential risk-factors influenced these symptoms over time. METHODS: This prospective cohort study surveyed FDS three periods from February 1, 2021 to April 8, 2022. FDSs' mental health was assessed through Beck Depression Inventory, Cohen Perceived Stress and the Evans Self-Illness Questionnaires; multivariate linear regression were used to identify potential factors associated with changes on each outcome (depression, perceived stress and hypochondria) over time. All analyses were performed in STATA ver. 14. RESULTS: In a total of 635 FDS, about 69%, 83%, and 71% reported relative depression, 77%, 87%, and 64% reported moderate to high stress level, and 60%, 76% and 74% reported moderate hypochondriac from first, second, and third survives, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the variables increased dramatically at second survive (July 17 to October 21, 2021) and decreased again at third survive significantly. Being female, working in public sector, and low socioeconomic level were main predictors of higher levels of depression (p < 0.001) and perceived stress (p < 0.001). Perceived stress was a strong predictor of high-level depression (t  =  7.79, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FDSs' depression, stress and hypochondria were high and positively associated with being female, working in public-sector, and low socioeconomic level. To increase the effectiveness and decrease work burnout, psychological support should be provided.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dental staff in Armed Force Hospital in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Work related musculoskeletal disorders' (WMSDs) are the most important public health challenge among dental staff. The objective of study was to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for work related musculoskeletal disorder among dental staff in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a cross sectional study and 130 dental staff with at least 1 year of working experience were random selected from Armed Forced Hospital. The self-administered validated and structured Standardized Nordic questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association of risk factors with WMSD. Results: the results of the present study revealed that there was a high incidence of MSDs in neck, shoulder, and lower back pain among dental personnel (72.6%). The common risk factors which contributed to WMSD were more than 5 year of experience (AOR 1.19(1.03-2.82)), Saudi nationality (AOR 4.88 (1.27 - 18.72)), working more than 12 hours (AOR 3.115 (1.258 7.578)) and resident doctors (AOR 1.14 (1.02 - 1.94)). Conclusion: The study conclude work related MSD were common with high rate of incidence among dental staff . There is need to make a policy which will reduce the burden of WMSD among dental staff.

Burnout assessment among academic dental staff during COVID-19: Data from Arab countries.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors that were associated with high burnout and investigate the prevalence of burnout among academic dental staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among academic dentists who are working in multiple dental schools in Arab countries. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used to assess participants' work-related burnout. Logistic regression was used to assess the factors that increase the risk of burnout among academic dentists. RESULTS: Of the 254 participants who took part in the study, 141 were males (55.5%). The average age of the participants in the study was 42.1 years (standard deviation = 10.0). The prevalence of burnout among participants was 44.9% (n = 114). Using a fully adjusted logistic regression model, age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.09, p = 0.008) and gender (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31-0.94, p = 0.03) were significant variables associated with high overall burnout. Female individuals had a substantially reduced risk of experiencing high personal burnout than male participants (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.98, p = 0.043) in the personal burnout subdomain. While in the patient's burnout subdomain, age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.08, p = 0.048), type of speciality (OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.02-5.83, p = 0.044), and teaching place (OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.21-5.11, p = 0.013) were associated with higher burnout. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that gender and age are characteristics that increase the risk of higher burnout among academic dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recursos humanos em odontologia no Brasil e na Colômbia, análise comparativa sob a perspectiva do institucionalismo histórico / Human resources in dentistry in Brazil and in Colombia, comparative analysis from the perspective of historical institutionalism

O Recurso Humano em Saúde é um dos 6 componentes núcleos ou "building blocks" dos sistemas de saúde e por meio de suas ações o direito à saúde é efetivado e o acesso e a qualidade dos serviços são garantidos. Assim mesmo, as instituições próprias de cada país (leis, decretos, sistema político e as características dos sistemas de saúde, entre outros) têm influência sobre os Recursos Humanos em Odontologia (RHO), inclusive à longo prazo, pois uma vez formadas, as instituições permanecem ativas e, por sua vez, estabelecem e são produto de uma série complexa de estruturas ou redes que possibilitam ou impedem sua permanência. Tanto o Brasil quanto a Colômbia passaram por reformas neoliberais nos anos 1990 que criaram instituições novas dentro do modelo estabelecido, afetando as dinâmicas sociais, políticas e econômicas dos dois países. O objetivo do presente trabalho é analisar a influência dos arranjos institucionais, criados a partir das reformas liberais da década de 1990, tanto no Brasil quanto na Colômbia, sobre os RHO, especificamente em relação à distribuição geográfica, a situação laboral e as características das instituições de treinamento (especificamente o domínio das instituições privadas), com base numa análise comparativa e sob a perspectiva do institucionalismo histórico. O método baseia-se no desenho dos estudos de casos múltiplos (também conhecidos como estudos comparativos) com unidades incorporadas e nas categorias teóricas do institucionalismo histórico. Os Resultados e discussão evidenciam que as reformas neoliberais dos anos 1990, caracterizadas pela apertura comercial e a privatização do estado, foram institucionalizadas nos sistemas de saúde, educação e trabalho nos dois países. Essas reformas foram conjunturas críticas que mudaram as políticas sociais e econômicas dos dois países, removendo leis previas de forma completa ou por camadas e condicionando o terreno das políticas das décadas futuras. Dessa maneira, as reformas afetaram aos RHO em assuntos como a flexibilização laboral, a apertura desregulada e sem planejamento de cursos privados de odontologia, o aprofundamento da distribuição desigual da riqueza e dos RHO, e a identidade social e profissional dos dentistas, constituindo-se em efeitos de reforço positivo (path dependesse e increasing retirns) que possibilitam o mantenimento desses fenômenos institucionalizados no estado e enraizado nos RHO ao longo do tempo. Conclusão: As reformas neoliberais tanto no Brasil quanto na Colômbia afetaram os recursos humanos em odontologia no campo da formação, do exercício laboral e da distribuição geográfica.

La seguridad social: Un derecho y una obligación para el odontólogo y sus trabajadores / Social security: A right and obligation for the dentist and his workers

La seguridad social es un derecho encaminado a asegurar el bienestar de los ciudadanos que forman parte de una comunidad, y su objetivo principal es brindar a las personas aseguradas un conjunto de medidas públicas que ayuden a la protección de su salud por accidentes de trabajo o enfermedad laboral, desempleo, invalidez, vejez o muerte. De acuerdo con nuestra legislación, toda persona que preste servicios laborales a otro, tiene derecho a ser registrado ante el seguro social para que, en caso de accidente o enfermedad laboral, exista una ins- tancia que asista al trabajador afectado a recuperar su salud sin afectar su economía familiar. Es bastante frecuente que el odontólogo tenga trabajadores a su cargo, quien al fungir como patrón tiene obligaciones específicas ante el Instituto de Seguridad Social que de no cumplir, puede traer consigo sanciones y amonestaciones al profesional. El objetivo del presente artículo es informar al odontólogo sus derechos y obligaciones ante el seguro social mediante una revisión de las normas y leyes que lo imponen (AU)

Social security is a right aimed at ensuring the well-being of citizens who are part of community, and its main objective is to provide insured persons with a set of public measures that help protect their health, due to accidents at work and occupational disease, unemployment, disability, old age or death. In accordance with our legislation, any person who provides labor services to another has the right to registered with the social security so that, in the event of an accident or occupational disease, there is an instance that assists the affecter worker to recover his health without affecting his familiar economy. It is quite common for the dentist to have workers under his charge, who, acting as an employer, have specific obligations with the Social Security Institute, which, if not fulfilled, can bring sanctions and reprimands to the professional. The aim of this article is to inform dentists about their rights and obligations with the Social Security Institute through a review of the laws that impose it (AU)

Percutaneous exposure injuries amongst dental staff and students at a university dental clinic in Australia: A 6-year retrospective study.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Dental care providers are at risk of percutaneous exposure injuries (PEIs) due to the intimate nature of the patient-dentist environment and the routine use of sharp instruments. They are the most vulnerable to accidental exposure of blood-borne viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the types of PEIs sustained by staff and students at the Griffith University Dental Clinic over a 6-year period. METHODS: Data were collected regarding PEIs sustained amongst dental staff and students between 2014 and 2019. Data were obtained from the risk incident reporting system (GSafe) and the patient management Software (Titanium), and then analysed using IBM SPSS. The chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regressions were performed with significance set at <.05. RESULTS: Over the 6-year period, there were 308 PEIs with an incidence rate of 0.109%, with 67 being needle stick injuries (0.023%). These injuries happened more often in restorative procedures, followed by local anaesthesia and oral surgery. Dental students were at a greater risk of sustaining PEIs (65.6%) when compared with professional staff (34.4%). Most common instruments included needles (21.8%), probes (20.5%) and burs (18.2%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the incidence of percutaneous injuries at the Griffith University Dental Clinic was low. The most common instruments were needles, probes and burs, and dental students were at greatest risk of sustaining injuries. Prevention of injuries by not recapping needles, immediate removal of burs from handpieces, the use of cassettes and single-use instruments has effectively decreased PEIs experienced by dental students and staff.

Occupational COVID-19 risk to dental staff working in a public dental unit in the outbreak epicenter.

OBJECTIVE: The management of the COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Lombardy (Italy) implied that non-COVID-19 health care was remodeled, limiting adequate resources in non-hospital public dental healthcare settings. This situation offered the opportunity to investigate the occupational COVID-19 risk to dental staff in public non-hospital dental units. METHODS: An infection control protocol was designed for dental health care in the Territorial Health and Social Services Authority (ASST) "Melegnano and Martesana" (Milan). Since specific guidance from central authorities was lacking, information was gathered from international public health organizations. The probability to visit asymptomatic COVID-19-infected patients was estimated, and the occupational risk to dental staff was calculated. RESULTS: The probability to visit asymptomatic patients passed from 1.2% (95% confidence interval -95 CI, 0.6%-2.5%) in the first period (20 February-15 March 2020) to 11.1% (95 CI, 5.8%-23.6%) in the second period (16 March-30 April). Dentists and dental assistants did not develop COVID-19, while one nurse did, the nature of her occupational risk was unclear, as nurses provided prevalently non-dental health care. The probabilities of developing COVID-19 per worked hour per person excluding and including this uncertain situation were 0.0% (95 CI, 0.0%-3.2%) and 0.9% (95 CI, 0.1%-4.7%). CONCLUSION: Relatively simple infection control procedures were enough to control occupational COVID-19 risk during the outbreak.

Woman authorship in pre-print versus peer-reviewed oral health-related publications: A two-year observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Women in oral health science face similar societal issues and challenges as those in other STEMM careers, and gender disparities continue to exist as evidenced by fewer women represented as first and last authors in scientific publications. Pre-prints may serve as a conduit to immediately disseminating one's work, bypassing the arduous peer review process and its associated inherent biases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1] compare the gender of first and last authors in pre-print versus peer reviewed publications, 2] examine the composition of first and last author pairs as stratified by publication type, and 3] examine the correlation between woman authorship and institutional geographic location and publication metrics stratified by publication type. METHODS: The keyword "oral health" was used to search for publications in BioRxiv and Pubmed in the years 2018 and 2019. Gender of first and last authors were determined, and its frequency was considered as the primary outcome. Additionally, the geographic location of the author's associated institution and publication metrics measured by Altmetrics score were extracted. Data was descriptively summarized by frequencies and percentages. Chi-square analysis was conducted for categorical variables which included the relationship between gender and publication type as well as gender and region of author's associated institution. Binomial regression analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between gender and Altmetrics. RESULTS: Woman first authors comprised 40.3% of pre-prints and 64.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. Woman last authors comprised 31.3% of pre-prints and 61.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. When analyzing the relationships between first and last author, the Man-Man pairing represented 47.7% of the pre-print publications and the Woman-Woman pairing comprised a majority of the of the peer review publications at 47.5%. All results were statistically significant with a p-value <0.05. No significant correlation was found between region of institution or Altmetrics and gender of first or last authors [p>0.05]. CONCLUSION: For the first time in oral health science, it was found that women show higher representation as first and last author positions in peer reviewed publications versus pre-prints.

Guía clínica de atención en salud bucal / Oral health care clinical guide

La presente guía, está dirigida al personal de odontología del SNIS, como una herramienta para la realización de los procedimientos odontológicos, que se realizan en los establecimientos de salud, en los cuales las patologías bucales constituyen gran parte de la demanda de servicios de salud, así mismo, se presentan las acciones orientadas a la identificación y manejo de las patologías bucales que con mayor frecuencia afectan a la población salvadoreña, incluyendo la promoción de estilos de vida saludable, educación y prevención de las mismas

This guide is aimed at SNIS dentistry staff, as a tool for the performance of dental procedures, which are performed in dental establishments health, in which oral pathologies constitute a large part of the demand for health services health, likewise, the actions oriented to the identification and management of the oral pathologies that most frequently affect the salvadoran population, including promotion of healthy lifestyles, education and prevention of the same

Mercury hygiene and biomedical waste management practices among dental health-care personnel in public hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Indiscriminate disposal of hospital wastes including mercury/amalgam wastes pose a serious threat to life and environment. There is a growing concern about biomedical waste (BMW) management among health care workers, however there are limited reports on BMW management by dental personnel in developing countries. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the level of knowledge of BMW, observance of proper mercury hygiene and BMW management practice among public dental personnel in Lagos State, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study regarding BMW management across public hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria was conducted following institutional ethics committee approval. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to obtain data from different facilities selected by purposive and simple random sampling techniques as applicable. The questionnaires were distributed among 437 respondents by convenience sampling. The resulting data were statistically tested using Chi-square and G-test with p-value < 0.05 indicating significant level. RESULTS: Amongst 437 respondents, majority were females (62.5%) and the highest proportion fell within the age range of 25-34 years (44.4%). Only 17.2% of the respondents had good knowledge of BMW management/legislation and 4.1% had good BMW practice. Less than half (49.4%) of respondents disposed mercury-contaminated materials inside the trash and majority (92.2%) did not observe proper mercury hygiene. Significantly better mercury hygiene practices were observed in secondary facilities (p=0.040). CONCLUSION: A minor proportion of public dental personnel had good knowledge and practice of proper mercury hygiene and BMW management. This shows there is an urgent need for training of health personnel on proper BMW handling and disposal in developing countries like Nigeria.

Uncertainties around COVID-19 from the perspectives of oral health care workers during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of COVID-19 infections caused disturbances in all aspects of personal and professional lives. The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which that first wave of novel coronavirus infections resulted in uncertainties, as experienced by members of the oral health care workforce in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: This qualitative inquiry purposefully recruited frontline oral health care workers, including dentists, dental hygienists, certified dental assistants, and administrative staff, via remote semi-structured interviews between April 20 and May 4, 2020. Coding, categories, and themes were inductively assigned. RESULTS: A total of 45 interviews, lasting between 39 and 74 minutes each, were conducted involving 18 dentists (6 females), 12 dental hygienists (11 females), 6 certified dental assistants (all females), and 9 administrators/front-desk staff (7 females). Fifty-one hours of audio recordings and more than 650 single-spaced pages of transcripts were produced. Five main themes emerged pertaining to uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, patient care, personal lives and infectiousness, concern for the future, and variations among different pandemics. Certitudes were less evident, but surfaced mostly when considering a potential new normal resulting from the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Participants indicated that the uncertainties they felt were dependent upon what is known, and unknown, about the pandemic and the provision of oral health care during the first wave of infections. Future studies are needed to include the viewpoints of oral health care workers from other provinces, as well the perceptions of patients who received oral health care during the height of the first wave of the pandemic.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection among the Dental Staff from Lombardy Region, Italy.

Dentists have been supposed to be among the healthcare workers at greatest risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, scant data are available on the issue. The aim of this study is to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and determinants in a sample of dentists, dental hygienists, and other personnel employed among the dental staff in Lombardy region. We used an accurate rapid diagnostic test kit detecting immunoglobulins (Ig) in 504 adults. Of the 499 participants who obtained a valid antibody test, 54 (10.8%) had a SARS-CoV-2 positive test (0.4% IgM+, 1.8% both IgM+ and IgG+, and 8.6% IgG+). A statistically significant association with infection was found for geographic area (compared to Milan, adjusted odds ratio was 2.79, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.01-7.68 for eastern and 2.82, 95% CI: 1.34-5.94, for southern Lombardy). The clinical staff did not result positive to SARS-CoV-2 more frequently than the administrative staff. This is the first study using antibody test in the dental staff personnel. It shows that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Lombardy region was around 10%, in line with estimates on other healthcare professionals. Despite the close physical contact with the patient, dentists have been able to scrupulously manage and effectively use protective devices.