[Assessment of occupational hazards and their prevention in the work of dental technicians during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Ocena zagrozen zawodowych oraz ich profilaktyka w pracy techników dentystycznych w czasie pandemii COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Work of a dental technician is associated with exposure to a number of harmful factors. We can distinguish: chemical, biological, physical and psychophysical factors. They contribute to many diseases, but not all of them are classified as occupational diseases. The main aim of the study was to assess the health hazards that occur in the workplace of a dental technician and their prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted. A self-created questionnaire form containing 28 questions was used. The link to the survey was shared on social groups associating dental technicians. Participation in the study did not require logging in. During the data collection, the respondents' personal data were not collected and processed. RESULTS: 148 dental technicians participated in the study. The largest group were participants aged 21-25 (32%), the smallest group were people over 50 (6%). The most frequently occupied position was acrylic and plaster. More than 1/3 of those surveyed reported having allergies, most often to acrylic or metal. More than 20% of technicians reported experience of mechanical injuries several times a week or more. 17% of technicians declared professional burnout. 80% of technicians used protective clothing. Personal protective equipment was always used by only 22% of technicians, and as many as 29% of respondents never used the listed protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Not all dental laboratories were equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment. The most commonly used personal protective equipment included: disposable gloves, disinfectant liquid and extract. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a change in disinfection procedures in more than 1/3 of the respondents. 35% of them started using disinfection only after the outbreak of the pandemic, while most of the changes concerned the improvement of existing procedures. The length of work experience of technicians had an impact on exposure to stress and occupational burnout. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(4):289-99.

Socioeconomic inequalities in use and non-use of dental services in Poland.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of classical socioeconomic factors on the use and non-use of dental services on a representative sample of Polish population. METHODS: The study was based on face-to-face surveys conducted by GUS (Statistics Poland) on 13,376 respondents in 2010 and 12,532 individuals in 2013. RESULTS: The percentage of people using dental services in the highest income group was approximately twice as high as that in the lowest one (Q1: 7.0% vs. Q5: 16.4%), with the same being true for education (the lowest education group: 8.3% vs. the highest education group: 18.0%), and place of residence (inhabitants of rural areas: 9.2% vs. inhabitants of largest cities: 15.9%) in 2013. The analysis has shown the disparities in not using dental services when in need to be less clear-cut. CONCLUSIONS: The conducted research, based on two independent periods, a representative population sample, univariate analysis and the multivariate regression model has revealed pronounced social inequalities in dental care use. It is a challenge to determine the factors which contribute most to health inequalities and the interventions which are most effective in reducing them.

Socio-economic inequalities in the use of dental care in urban and rural areas in Poland.

INTRODUCTION: The issue of inequalities in the use of health services and health inequalities between urban and rural dwellers is a subject of numerous scientific reports, but similar publications on dental health are scarce. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the correlations between the use or non-use of dental services and the classical socio-economic factors (SES) in urban and rural groups in a representative population of Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis consisted in desk research based on a questionnaire survey conducted by the Central Statistical Office of Poland on 12,532 individuals (urban areas - 6411, rural areas - 6121) in 2013. The chi-squared test, multivariate and univariate logistic regression models were applied. RESULTS: There were major differences in the use of dental services depending on income level, education and source of income among rural and urban populations, as well as differences between these populations. Urban dwellers had 1.34 times greater odds of using dental services than rural ones (95% CI: 1.20-1.51). In the case of the highest income group, the odds were 3.26 (95% CI 2.21-4.83) times greater in cities and 2.07 (95% CI 1.51-2.85) times greater in villages than the odds in the lowest income group. In the highest education group, the odds were 1.58 (95% CI 1.17-2.13) times greater in urban areas and 2.08 (95% CI 1.48-2.91) times greater in rural areas than the odds in the lowest education group. CONCLUSIONS: There are considerable inequalities in the use of dental services, yet the differences in non-use, despite such a need, are less evident. This could imply that health disparities arise not only from economic constraints and unavailability of health care, but also from health attitudes and behaviours.

Changes in Dietary Patterns and the Nutritional Status in Men in the Metallurgical Industry in Poland Over A 21-Year Period.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The study was carried out to evaluate the changes in the eating habits and lipid parameters in a 21-year follow-up on a group of 435 men living in Poland. METHODS: The studied population was composed of the same subjects: a group of men who were first studied in the years 1987-1989 and in 2008-2010. The following data was gathered: body mass, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentration in blood serum. RESULTS: The changes in the eating habits among the studied men registered throughout the 21-year period were positive since they showed a reduction in the caloric content of their diet (p < 0.001), lower total fat content (p < 0.001), total amount of carbohydrates (p < 0.001), sucrose (p < 0.001), iron (p < 0.001), and featured more vitamins: A (p < 0.002), B1 (p < 0.001), and C (p < 0.001). An adverse trend was observed in terms of constant calcium shortages in their food portions (ns). A 21-year follow-up of the studied group showed significant differences in terms of weight (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), and all cholesterol fractions (p < 0.001) in their blood serum, except cholesterol alone (ns). CONCLUSION: It is important to continue observing the dietary trends in the studied group, with the focus on the occurrence of potential changes in their bodies.