Dental care workers are exposed to many occupational hazards. These range from toxicity to chemicals routinely used in dentistry, threat of cross infection in the dental clinic, to musculo-skeletal diseases consequential to sub-optimal working posture. Awareness of these occupational hazards and implementation of preventive strategies can necessarily provide a safe practice environment for all concerned.
FDI urges all dental professionals to implement safety and health standards designed to prevent on-the-job injuries and limit workers' risk of developing occupational disease and, maintain a healthy environment. To this end, all employers are responsible for ensuring that:
- Employees are appropriately trained in delegated work procedures to obtain optimal output without accidents and injuries.
- Employees follow safe work practices and related international, regional or local regulations and occupational health directives and, make safety and health a part of their daily routine.
- All personnel are held accountable for implementing the defined programme of health and safety.
Addenda and Explanatory Notes to Occupational Health in Dentistry
This was originally commissioned as Project 4-98 `Occupational hazards in dentistry` and managed by Professor LP Samaranayake. Due to the vast spectrum of the project and the duplication with projects such as cross infection control and mercury hazard, a decision was made to publish the commissioned review as two, successive state-of-the art summary articles in the now discontinued `FDI World`. The outcomes of the project are tabulated.
|2001||Project 4-98: Occupational hazards in dentistry||Review||FDI World 2001; 10(4): 8-12||Anil S, Samaranayake|
|FDI World 2001; 10(5): 14-18||LP, Scully C|