Study the physical hazards and Safety Practices at Dental Department of the Armed Forces Hospital in Dharan, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Worldwide, dentistry is known as a profession of high-level occupational hazard. Dental staff are frequently exposed to several types of hazard, which include chemical, biological and physical agents, psychological stress, workplace violence, and ergonomic difficulties. Adequate precautions should be taken to reduce these hazards. Dental staff should control their working hours and be aware of physical hazards such as noise, radiation and the light levels at their work. Training and education programmes should be conducted among dental professionals to increase their knowledge and awareness of safety measures. Objectives: To assess levels of occupational physical hazards and to evaluate safety practices at the dental department of the Armed Forces Hospital in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to measure levels of physical hazards and to evaluate the safety practices in the Armed Forces Hospital in Dhahran. Nearly 88.5% of the dental staff participated in this part of the study; 62.7% of them were female while 37.3% were male. Levels of noise, lighting and radiation were measured simultaneously at selected locations and sites during a period of about three months (January – March 2020). Nearly 5022 readings were recorded for noise, lighting, and radiation during the whole period of study at all locations. Results: The highest mean level of noise was found in the dental hygiene clinic, followed by a dental laboratory, whereas the lowest mean level of noise was found in the x-ray room. The highest levels of lighting and radiation were recorded in the dental laboratory, while the lowest levels were found in the x-ray room. Levels of noise are affected by the time of measurement (day of the week or period of the day), whereas this factor has no effect on the lighting and radiation levels. Results of the study of safety practice revealed that generally, staff in the Armed Forces dental clinic in Dhahran have excellent knowledge of protective measures that enable most of them to avoid health problems or hazards in their workplace.The mean levels of noise ranged between 46.3dB and 67.2dB, while the noise dose percentage (noise exposure level) ranged between 60.7dB and 77.6dB. The mean levels of lighting ranged from 236.3 lux in the x-ray room to 1080.3 lux in the dental lab. The mean levels of radiation ranged from 7.8μrem to 12.1μrem. The mean levels of these three physical hazards were lower than their permissible levels at all locations in the Armed Forces dental clinic in Dhahran. Conclusion: Levels of noise in the dental clinic are affected by changes in work activity. This factor has no effect on the levels of lighting and radiation except for during certain processes such as screening, choosing colour shades for tooth restorations, cavity preparations, restorations, dental surgeries and sutures. The mean levels of the three physical hazards are lower than their permissible levels at all locations in the Armed Forces dental clinic in Dhahran. Demographic variables such as gender, specialisation and the average number of patients that are seen show a significant association with the levels of physical hazards and safety practices, while there is no significant association with radiation protection.