Skin reactions among Bulgarian dental students: A self‐report questionnaire survey

Abstract

Background Dental students are at high risk of developing adverse skin reactions following practical work during the dentistry degree program. They encounter multiple irritants and allergens that may cause skin reactions on exposed parts of the body, notably the hands. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of skin reactions related to the pre‐clinical and clinical training courses of the dentistry program and associated risk factors in Bulgarian dental students. Method A cross‐sectional study was performed using a self‐report questionnaire. Results A total of 467 dental students completed the questionnaire (response 51.8%). The prevalence of self‐reported skin symptoms was 21.2%. According to logistic regression analysis, the most important risk factors for work‐related skin symptoms were a personal history of atopic dermatitis (odds ratio [OR] 3.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.99‐7.72), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma (OR 1.94, 95%CI: 1.03‐3.68), personal history of contact allergy (OR 2.19, 95%CI: 1.06‐4.55), and hand washing >16 times a day (OR 2.42, 95%CI: 1.06‐5.52). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that work‐related skin symptoms are frequent among dental students and indicate the need to establish effective primary preventive programs for occupational skin disorders at a national level.

Work‐related skin symptoms among Bulgarian dentists

“…In our study, hand washing >16 times per day was associated with work‐related skin symptoms (OR 1.74, 95%CI: 1.40‐2.17). In line with the current results, a high frequency of hand washing was associated with self‐reported work‐related skin symptoms in dental students in the previous study (OR 2.42, 95%CI: 1.06‐5.52) 15 . When adjusting for other factors in the logistic regression model, the impact of frequent hand washing increased, and even hand washing ≥8 times per day became significantly associated with work‐related skin symptoms (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.11‐1.80).…”

“…Despite the participation of a large number of Bulgarian dentists, bias as regards an uneven distribution of work‐related skin symptoms among respondents and non‐respondents may be present. On the other hand, this high prevalence is in accordance with recently published results from a questionnaire study among Bulgarian dental students, in which 21.2% of the respondents reported current work‐related skin symptoms 15 …”

“…In our study, a history of atopic dermatitis was the most important predictor of work‐related skin symptoms with an OR of 2.61 (95%CI: 2.16‐3.16) after adjustment for sex, frequency of hand washing, protective gloves use (hours and pairs per day), and history of contact allergy. The previous study conducted among Bulgarian dental students also showed that self‐reported work‐related skin symptoms were significantly associated with a history of atopic dermatitis with an OR of 3.92 (95%CI: 1.99‐7.72) 15 . Atopic dermatitis is characterized by skin barrier deficiency rendering the skin more susceptible to irritation and thus, increasing the risk of work‐related irritant contact dermatitis 34‐36 …”

“…So far, no extensive research on work‐related skin symptoms in Bulgarian dentists has been carried out. Recently, we demonstrated that one fifth of dental students in Bulgaria reported work‐related skin symptoms 15 . These were associated with a history of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma, contact allergy, and a high frequency of hand washing.…”

Skin reactions of N95 masks and medial masks among health‐care personnel: A self‐report questionnaire survey in China

“…Our study describes mask-related adverse reactions in HCPs. The higher prevalence of skin symptoms among women might be related to a lower threshold for reporting adverse reactions [1] . The most frequent symptoms were pressure-related.…”