Annals and Essences of Dentistry
Open Access

Abstract

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS IN DENTAL OFFICE

Swaroop Kumar Reddy

The purpose of this article was to review the occupational hazards related to day to day procedures carried out in dental office. The classification of hazards was based on major sources of risks by system or tissues. Potentially hazardous factors relate to the general practice setting are to specific materials and tools that expose the operator to vision and hearing risks; to chemical substances with known allergenic, toxic, or irritating actions; to increased microbial counts and silica particles of the aerosols produced during debonding; and to psychological stress with proven undesirable sequelae. The identification and elimination of these risk factors should be incorporated into a standard practice management program as an integral part of education.