scholarly journals The Rationale for Dental Safety

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-134
Author(s):  
Dennis Youngblood ◽  
Anil Reddy ◽  
Raghunath Puttaiah

ABSTRACT Dental infection control and occupational safety are very important aspects of dentistry. It is quintessential to provide safe care to patients and at the same time not to be affected personally by occupational hazards. While patient safety addresses control of disease transmission to patients during care, occupational safety addresses control of occupational hazards to the care provider. Collectively, we can refer to both patient safety and occupational safety as “dental safety”. “Primum non nocere” or “first, do no harm” is the key to providing safe dental care. Dentistry has evolved in science, technology and esthetics over the years, and around making various types and options of treatments available, but dental safety has not kept pace with changes and advancements. This is not due to lack of availability of information, materials and equipment, but due to lack of importance given to safety in comparison with other fields of dental sciences. While dental care is important in improving oral health, dental safety is important in controlling morbidity and mortality that is more important than improving oral health. In this manuscript, we address the rationale for understanding the need for dental safety. We address recent status in epidemiology of infectious diseases, including HIV, infectious diseases commonly encountered during provision of dental care, routes of disease transmission, Spaulding's classification of surfaces, universal and standard precautions, additional precautions while anticipating certain diseases or during certain endemics and epidemics, and finally infectious disease related stigma impacting universal precautions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.F. Ren ◽  
L. Rasubala ◽  
H. Malmstrom ◽  
E. Eliav

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused much anxiety and confusion in the community and affected the delivery of vital health care services, including dental care. We reviewed current evidence related to the impact of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 on dental care and oral health with the aim to help dental professionals better understand the risks of disease transmission in dental settings, strengthen protection against nosocomial infections, and identify areas of COVID-19–related oral health research. When compared with other recent pandemics, COVID-19 is less severe but spreads more easily, causing a significantly higher number of deaths worldwide. Protection of dental patients and staff during COVID-19 is challenging due to the existence of patients who are infectious yet asymptomatic. Dental professionals are ill prepared for the pandemic, as they are not routinely fitted for the N95 respirators now required for preventing contagion during dental treatments. Biological and clinical evidence supports that oral mucosa is an initial site of entry for SARS-CoV-2 and that oral symptoms, including loss of taste/smell and dry mouth, might be early symptoms of COVID-19, presenting before fever, dry cough, fatigue, shortness breath, and other typical symptoms. Oral health researchers may play a more active role in early identification and diagnosis of the disease through deciphering the mechanisms of dry mouth and loss of taste in patients with COVID-19. Rapid testing for infectious diseases in dental offices via saliva samples may be valuable in the early identification of infected patients and in disease progress assessment. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This commentary provides a timely evidence-based overview on the impact of COVID-19 on dental care and oral health and identifies gaps in protection of patients and staff in dental settings. Oral symptoms are prominent before fever and cough occur. Dental professionals may play an important role in early identification and diagnosis of patients with COVID-19.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-130
Author(s):  
Rifatun Hasanah ◽  
Setyowati Setyowati ◽  
Noor Tifauzah

Background:One of the efforts in preventing congenital food disease is by washing the cutlery perfectly. The cutlery used by patients with infectious diseases should be noted more, because it has a risk in disease transmission through cutlery. The process of washing the cutlery for infected patients in Queen Latifa Hospital use three compartement sink method with hot water, while the three compartement sink method with clorine solvent has never been tested. Purpose: Research was to determine the difference in the number of germs in the tool was washed using three compartement sink method with hot water and with clorine solvent. Method:Types of research is experiment with rancangan percobaan acak kelompok (RAK). The object of this research is 4 plates and 4 bowls. The number of experimental units in this research were 2 treatments x 2 cutlery x 2 checks x 2 reapetitions = 16 experimental units. The analysis used independent t-test with 95% confidence level. Result :The average number of germs in the cutlery washed using the three compartment sink method with hot water was 1 x 101 cfu / cm2, whereas with chlorine solvent is 0.2 cfu / cm2. Independent test t-test shows p = 0.049 which means the hypothesis is accepted. onclusion : There are differences in the number of germs in the washing cutlery using the three compartment sink method with hot water and with chlorine solvent.   Keywords: number of germs, cutlery, three compartment sink


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Rifatun Hasanah ◽  
Setyowati Setyowati ◽  
Noor Tifauzah

Background:One of the efforts in preventing congenital food disease is by washing the cutlery perfectly. The cutlery used by patients with infectious diseases should be noted more, because it has a risk in disease transmission through cutlery. The process of washing the cutlery for infected patients in Queen Latifa Hospital use three compartement sink method with hot water, while the three compartement sink method with clorine solvent has never been tested. Purpose: Research was to determine the difference in the number of germs in the tool was washed using three compartement sink method with hot water and with clorine solvent. Method:Types of research is experiment with rancangan percobaan acak kelompok (RAK). The object of this research is 4 plates and 4 bowls. The number of experimental units in this research were 2 treatments x 2 cutlery x 2 checks x 2 reapetitions = 16 experimental units. The analysis used independent t-test with 95% confidence level. Result :The average number of germs in the cutlery washed using the three compartment sink method with hot water was 1 x 101 cfu / cm2, whereas with chlorine solvent is 0.2 cfu / cm2. Independent test t-test shows p = 0.049 which means the hypothesis is accepted. Conclusion : There are differences in the number of germs in the washing cutlery using the three compartment sink method with hot water and with chlorine solvent.


Author(s):  
Cécile Viboud ◽  
Hélène Broutin ◽  
Gerardo Chowell

Disentangling the spatial-temporal dynamics of infectious disease transmission is important to address issues of disease persistence, epidemic growth and optimal control. In this chapter, we review key concepts relating to the spatial-temporal dynamics of infectious diseases in meta-populations, whereby geographically separate subpopulations are connected by migration or mobility rates. We review the dynamics of colonization, persistence and extinction of emerging and recurrent pathogens in meta-populations; the role of demographic and environmental factors; and geographic heterogeneity in epidemic growth rate. We illustrate theoretical concepts by reviewing the spatial dynamics of childhood diseases and other acute infections in low- and middle-income countries, and provide a detailed description of the spatial-temporal dynamics of the 2014–16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We further discuss how increased availability of empirical data and recent methodological developments provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of transmission processes in space and time, and make recommendations for future work.


Author(s):  
Markus Frischhut

This chapter discusses the most important features of EU law on infectious diseases. Communicable diseases not only cross borders, they also often require measures that cross different areas of policy because of different vectors for disease transmission. The relevant EU law cannot be attributed to one sectoral policy only, and thus various EU agencies participate in protecting public health. The key agency is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Other important agencies include the European Environment Agency; European Food Safety Authority; and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency. However, while integration at the EU level has facilitated protection of the public's health, it also has created potential conflicts among the different objectives of the European Union. The internal market promotes the free movement of products, but public health measures can require restrictions of trade. Other conflicts can arise if protective public health measures conflict with individual human rights. The chapter then considers risk assessment and the different tools of risk management used in dealing with the challenges of infectious diseases. It also turns to the external and ethical perspective and the role the European Union takes in global health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  

Abstract Oral health is a central element of general health with significant impact in terms of pain, suffering, impairment of function and reduced quality of life. Although most oral disease can be prevented by health promotion strategies and routine access to primary oral health care, the GBD study 2017 estimated that oral diseases affect over 3.5 billion people worldwide (Watt et al, 2019). Given the importance of oral health and its potential contribution to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), it has received increased attention in public health debates in recent years. However, little is known about the large variations across countries in terms of service delivery, coverage and financing of oral health. There is a lack of international comparison and understanding of who delivers oral health services, how much is devoted to oral health care and who funds the costs for which type of treatment (Eaton et al., 2019). Yet, these aspects are central for understanding the scope for improvement regarding financial protection against costs of dental care and equal access to services in each country. This workshop aims to present the comparative research on dental care coverage in Europe, North America and Australia led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Three presentations will look at dental care coverage using different methods and approaches. They will compare how well the population is covered for dental care especially within Europe and North America considering the health systems design and expenditure level on dental care, using the WHO coverage cube as analytical framework. The first presentation shows results of a cross-country Health Systems in Transition (HiT) review on dental care. It provides a comparative review and analysis of financing, coverage and access in 31 European countries, describing the main trends also in the provision of dental care. The second presentation compares dental care coverage in eight jurisdictions (Australia (New South Wales), Canada (Alberta), England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States) with a particular focus on older adults. The third presentation uses a vignette approach to map the extent of coverage of dental services offered by statutory systems (social insurance, compulsory insurance, NHS) in selected countries in Europe and North America. This workshop provides the opportunity of a focussed discussion on coverage of dental care, which is often neglected in the discussion on access to health services and universal health coverage. The objectives of the workshop are to discuss the oral health systems in an international comparative setting and to draw lessons on best practices and coverage design. The World Conference on Public Health is hence a good opportunity for this workshop that contributes to frame the discussion on oral health systems in a global perspective. Key messages There is large degree of variation in the extent to which the costs of dental care are covered by the statutory systems worldwide with implications for oral health outcomes and financial protection. There is a need for a more systematic collection of oral health indicators to make analysis of reliable and comparable oral health data possible.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232098691
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bien ◽  
Kermit Davis ◽  
Susan Reutman ◽  
Gordon Gillespie

The population of home healthcare workers (HHCWs) is rapidly expanding. Worker tasks and the unique home care environments place the worker at increased risks of occupational exposures, injury, and illness. Previous studies focusing on occupational exposures of HHCWs are limited to self-reports and would benefit from direct observations. The purpose of this study is to describe the occupational hazards observed in the unique work environment of home healthcare. HHCWs and home care patient participants were recruited from one home care agency in the Midwest to be observed during a routine home visit. This cross-sectional study used a trained occupational health nurse for direct observation of the occupational setting. Standardized observations and data collection were completed using the Home Healthcare Worker Observation Tool. The observer followed a registered nurse and occupational therapist into 9 patient homes observing visits ranging from 22 to 58 minutes. Hazards observed outside of and within the home include uneven pavements (n = 6, 67%), stairs without railings (n = 2, 22%), throw rugs (n = 7, 78%), unrestrained animals (n = 2, 22%), dust (n = 5, 56%), and mold (n = 2, 22%). Hand hygiene was observed prior to patient care 2 times (22%) and after patient care during 5 visits (56%). Observations have identified hazards that have the potential to impact workers’ and patients’ health. The direct observations of HHCWs provided opportunities for occupational safety professionals to understand the occupational exposures and challenges HHCWs encounter in the home care environment and begin to identify ways to mitigate occupational hazards.


BDJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Opazo-García ◽  
Jeel Moya-Salazar ◽  
Karina Chicoma-Flores ◽  
Hans Contreras-Pulache

Abstract Introduction Dental care is provided for high-performance athletes at national and international sports events. Elite athletes may seek care for sports-related injuries and pre-existing oral diseases. Previous studies indicate an association between oral health problems and negative performance impacts in elite athletes. Objectives To determine the prevalence of the most common oral pathologies in high-performance athletes during the emergency dental care performed at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games (JPL-19). Methodology All reports of athletes (≥18 years old, of both sexes, from 41 countries) who received emergency dental care at Pan American Villas during the JPL-19 were included. Injuries and types of oral diseases were classified according to the Injury and Disease Surveillance System proposed by the International Olympic Committee. Results Of the 6680 participating athletes, 76 (1.14%) presented as dental emergencies, 90.8% (69/76) of the athletes seen presented pre-existing oral pathological conditions, the most frequent were periodontal diseases (34%, 26/76) and dental caries (29%, 22/76). Among the sports with the most cases, there were 22 (29%) in athletics, 6 (8%) in soccer, and 6 (8%) in taekwondo. The most frequent dental emergencies came from Peru, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Grenada, and Venezuela. Conclusions Pre-existing oral diseases were more frequent than sports-related accidents. The most prevalent diseases were periodontal disease and dental caries disease. It is necessary to implement new care strategies for athletes, based on prevention, before and during sports competitions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document