Questionnaire-Based Study on the Prevalence, Awareness, and Preventive Measures of Occupational Hazards Among Dental Professionals.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND In this questionnaire-based study, we evaluated the prevalence and awareness level of occupational hazards among dental professionals (students, interns, dentists, and specialists) at different dentistry colleges. MATERIAL AND METHODS A self-administered questionnaire was designed from previously conducted studies and distributed to 310 participants from different dental colleges of dentistry in Sana'a City, Yemen. The questionnaire was divided into 4 parts. The first part comprised questions involving sex, age, and clinical professions; the second part, questions on awareness about different occupational hazards; the third part, questions about prevalence of occupational hazards; and the fourth part, questions related to bringing down the prevalence of occupational hazards associated with a dental practice. Data were analyzed using one­way analysis of variance and chi-square tests. RESULTS Significant differences were detected between sex, age groups, and clinical professions. Musculoskeletal disorders were the most common physical hazard, whereas infections were the greatest biological hazard, accounting for 68% and 74%, respectively. Of the participants, 63.5% answered that "patient, practice, and finance'' together were the most common causes of stress among practicing dentists and dental students. The use of gloves and/or masks was the most efficient preventive measure among participants. A significant difference was found among most of the parameters, with P≤0.001. Almost 50% of respondents answered "yes'' in relation to vaccination for hepatitis-B, with P=0.062. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of occupational hazards was low among dentists and dental students among the tested participants, with significant differences for most of the parameters.