Prevalence of Employee Safety Events in a Pediatric Dental Clinic

Objectives: The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the type and prevalence of employee safety incidents in a hospital-based pediatric dental clinic.
Methods: 2017 data were retrieved from a hospital-wide safety reporting system that is utilized by providers to report and document incidents related to employee injuries. The database contains information related to the provider type, location and nature of incident.

Results: In 2017, Dentistry had 37,000 patient visits with 27 self-reported employee incidents; 12 (44%) were sharps exposures, 6 (22%) were aggressive/combative patient injuries, 8 (30%) were non-patient-related injuries, and 1 (4%) was blood/body fluid exposure. Three (12%) of the injuries occurred in the Dental Surgery Center, and 23 (88%) occurred in the outpatient dental clinic. Majority of the incidents (67%) involved dental assistants; 22% were dental residents and 11% were hygienists. Needle sticks accounted for 33% of sharp exposures. Bites accounted for 50% of aggressive/combative injuries. Falls accounted for 25% of non-patient-related injuries. Of all the reported incidents, only one event (staff falling in the operatory) resulted in significant loss of work days.
Conclusions: Prevalence of serious employee safety events was very low. For employee patient-related injuries, sharps exposures and aggressive/combative patient injuries were the two most common types. Providing safety awareness and targeted improvements around these events will benefit employees.