Percutaneous exposure incidents: a review of practice and awareness of current protocols at a Dental Faculty

Abstract

Background Research has shown that dental care providers (DCPs) and students are among the most vulnerable to accidental exposure to blood‐borne pathogens (BBPs). An exposure to BBPs can have detrimental effects on a DCP's professional and personal life. Objectives The aim of this study to study the prevalence and risk factors of sharps and needlestick injuries (NSIs) sustained by the staff and undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago. Method A cross‐sectional survey among students (fourth & fifth year dental students, postgraduate students), staff (academic/clinical) and dental assistants was performed using a self‐administered questionnaire to collect information pertaining to needlestick and sharps injuries during February 2012–November 2013. Data were tabulated in MS Excel® and analysed using SPSS statistical software®. Results Of the 350 questionnaires distributed, 234 participants completed the questionnaire. Seventy participants (29.9%) reported percutaneous injury. Most exposures occurred among undergraduate dental students (70%), followed by postgraduate students, academic staff (18.6%) and dental assistants (11.4%). Prevalence of under‐reporting was noted around 32.8%. Needlestick was the most frequent (34.8%) while injury from surgical bur and scaler tips were reported at 25 (28.1%) and 19 (21.3%) respectively. Only three participants (4.28%) took the post‐exposure prophylaxis after an incident. Conclusion Percutaneous exposure incidents continue to occur in healthcare settings in spite of emphasis on improved work practices and use of safety devices. Improvements are required in the use of safe‐practice and in developing a culture of more comprehensive reporting and adopting post‐exposure prophylaxis when required. Students new to the clinical environment need structured training and education before starting their clinical work to minimise accidental needlestick and sharps injuries.

Self-reported percutaneous injuries of students and interns at the School of Dentistry in Trinidad: A follow up study of an updated sharps protocol

“…Similar to our study, needle stick injuries have been reported as the most common sharps injury at other dental schools 14,17,19,20,[24][25][26][27] and among dentists. 28 In this study, the majority of injuries occurred during administration of anaesthesia with a single instance occurring during assembling the syringe.…”

“…While the majority of respondents were aware of the school's protocol for sharps injuries, only 41% adhered to it. Non-compliance with departmental sharps injury protocols and underreporting of sharps injuries seems to be a common practice among dental students 13,16 , [18][19][20]27 and dental health care workers. 28 Given that in this study, students admitted to not reporting sharps injuries, it is conceivable that underreporting of sharps injuries is still occurring.…”

“…The prevalence of injuries ranged from 12-80%. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The authors thought it important to periodically assess the levels of injuries among students in the clinical programme of a dental school.…”

A retrospective analysis of non-sharps related injuries in a dental school setting’’

“…It is certain that attention will continue to centre around personal protective equipment (PPE) for the face and the eyes. In contrast to earlier studies, compliance with the use of PPE at the UQ SoD was high and in line with current guidelines [20]. There may be bene ts for certain procedures where uid splashes are likely to move to a full face-shield [21].…”

“…It is likely that estimations of relative risk may reveal important effects of the student year level or the experience level of staff, relative to the complexity of the procedure being undertaken at the time of the accident. One would expect that more experienced clinical operators and support staff such as dental assistants would be less likely to sustain injuries as than novices to the particular workplace tasks [20]. Such aspects could be the focus for future studies.…”