Occupational accidents with biological material in Dentistry: a teaching responsibility

• Autor(a) principal: Neumann de Paiva, Seani
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: de Souza Zaroni, Wanessa Christine, Ferreira Leite, Mariana, Rocon Bianchi, Patricia, Rangel Pereira, Teresa Cristina
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista da ABENO (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revabeno.emnuvens.com.br/revabeno/article/view/388
• topic: Exposure to Biological Agents. Occupational Risks. Accident Prevention. Students; Dental. Occupational Accidents Registry.; Exposição a Agentes Biológicos. Riscos Ocupacionais. Prevenção de Acidentes. Estudantes de Odontologia. Notificação de Acidentes de Trabalho.

In Dental School, undergraduate students face situations that can cause health problems due to exposure to various occupational risks with biological material. In order to make contributions using data in academic training, the aim of this study is to verify the occurrence, characteristics of accidents with biological material, the knowledge and application of preventive actions, and post-exposure behavior. This observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire by 195 dental students who have started clinical procedures. Of the interviewees, 23.6% had occupational accidents with a higher frequency of females (78.3%), commonly in the hands (66.7%) and most of them caused by an explorer probe (30.1%). It was observed that 34.9% had percutaneous accidents, but only 18.7% sought medical assistance and 6.3% reported not using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the time of the exposure. Washing the affected area with soap and water (54.7%) was the most common behavior performed post-exposure. The occurrence of accidents with contaminated materials is alarming due to the incomplete use or non-use of PPE, in addition to the low demand for medical care after the injury. The students reported that they were aware of work health and safety legislation and how to proceed in case of occupational accidents. There is a need for the development of teaching strategies in a continuous way that include more effective supervision that motivates the students to reduce occupational accidents while increasing the number of students reporting incidents of biological exposure.