Dental technician pneumoconiosis mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report

Tan, Han Loong; Faisal, Mohamed; Soo, Chun Ian; A, Bán; Manap, Roslina Abdul; Hassan, Tidi

doi:10.1186/s12890-016-0293-2

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Usually, diagnosis is formulated after several years of exposure. The CT or RX patterns consist of micronodular and reticular lesions usually in upper-middle lung lobes and restrictive and/or obstructive lung function impairment [13][14][15]. Our case developed pulmonary symptoms early after work beginning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Early signs of pneumoconiosis in a dental technician in Italy: a case report

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Dental technicians are at high risk of pneumoconiosis, usually driven by inhalation of mixed dusts, including metals. An etiological diagnosis is not easy to be performed, particularly in advanced stages. Case presentation We describe the case of an early pneumoconiosis occurring in a 47-year-old dental technician who developed respiratory symptoms shortly after beginning work. She described the work environment as dusty and lacking relevant primary prevention tools. A chest CT showed multiple peripheral pseudonodular lesions in both lower lobes; bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial aspirate evidenced numerous macrophages with reflective metal bodies included into the cytoplasm, that at scanning electron microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis resulted Zirconium and Aluminum, whereas Tungsten (W) was localized outside cells. End of shift urinary concentrations of W were substantially raised as compared to pre-shift (1.1 vs. 0.2 µg/L). Conclusions We concluded for diagnosis of early work-related pneumoconiosis due to abnormal occupational exposure to metals. The case demonstrates the need also for dental professionals to comply with industrial hygiene standards and to be monitored by occupational health physicians.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Early signs of pneumoconiosis in a dental technician in Italy: a case report

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although exposure to Be in working places is being strictly regulated by the Occupation Health and Safety Administration, controlling is difficult 26 . Dental technicians are at higher risk of developing occupational respiratory disorders such as pneumoconiosis, caused by exposure to dust while handling dental materials [27][28][29][30] . They still seem to represent a population at higher risk of Be-associated disorders as compared to non-exposed workers despite the increasingly use of Be-free materials 17,31 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elemental analysis of contemporary dental materials regarding potential beryllium content

Burkhardt

Pieralli

Bergfeldt

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure to beryllium (Be) can lead to lung pathologies, such as chronic beryllium disease (CBD). This occupational illness has been more prevalent among dental technicians compared to the non-exposed population. Although most manufacturers state that dental materials are Be-free, this prevalence raises the question of whether the materials are completely devoid of Be-traces. Thus, the objective of the present study was to analyze the elemental composition, with emphasis on Be, of a wide range of commercially available dental materials frequently used by dental laboratories. Samples of 32 different materials were collected and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the Be content was below the limit of quantification in all included samples (< 0.00005 mass-%). Therefore, it can be concluded that possible traces of Be were below clinical relevance in dental materials. Exposure of dental technicians to alternative Be sources should be further evaluated.

show abstract

“…Although these articles have not investigated the Corona family of viruses specifically, it has been proven that SARS‐CoV and COVID‐19 viruses are present in the saliva of infected individuals 28,30,32 and therefore attention to proper ventilation during and after treatment is very important. There are different ways to ventilate dental offices and clinics as shown in Table 2 83–85 …”

Section: Ventilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing the Risk of COVID‐19 Transmission in Dental Offices: A Review

Ashtiani

Tehrani

Revilla‐León³

et al. 2020

Journal of Prosthodontics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 epidemic has become a major public health challenge around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of August 2020 there are more than 833,556 dead and over 24,587,513 people infected around the world. This pandemic has adversely affected many professions around the globe, including dentistry. COVID-19, caused by the Corona virus family, is transmitted mainly by direct contact with an infected person or through the spread of aerosol and droplets. Dentistry by nature is considered to be one of the most vulnerable professions with regards to the high risk of transmission between the dentist, dental team, and patients; therefore, a protocol for infection control and the prevention and spreading of the COVID-19 virus in dental settings is urgently needed. This article reviews essential knowledge about this virus and its transmission and recommends preventive methods based on existing scientific research and recommendations to prevent the spread of this virus in dental offices and clinics.

show abstract

Dental technician pneumoconiosis mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis: a case report

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

Early signs of pneumoconiosis in a dental technician in Italy: a case report

Early signs of pneumoconiosis in a dental technician in Italy: a case report

Elemental analysis of contemporary dental materials regarding potential beryllium content

Reducing the Risk of COVID‐19 Transmission in Dental Offices: A Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About