Management of dental consulting rooms residues – self-evaluation of working conditions

In Brazil, the management of health service residues is regulated by state and federal legislation that must establish adequate handling, with a view to preserving the environment and the health of workers and population in general. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the procedures related to the management of dental resides in the municipality of Valinhos (São Paulo), which has a population of 94,124 inhabitants and 126 dentists. METHOD: The questionnaires were delivered by hand, in which information was sought about the type of professional occupation and about the strategies for managing residues generated by the health services. RESULTS: Of the professionals in the municipality, 30.7% participated in the study. After analyzing the data, it was verified that the sample was composed of dentists that were involved exclusively in private practice (42.5%), exclusively public service (30 %) or mixed (27.5%). It was verified that the use of garbage cans exclusively for infectant residues was equal to 91.7% (public service), 88.2% (private practice) and 81.8% (mixed activities), with the majority of the responses mentioning the ideal characteristic of the garbage cans (pedal operated) in 83.3; 70.6% and 72.7% respectively. Perforating/cutting materials were also shown to be correctly accommodated in boxes with rigid walls in 75.0%; 76.5% and 72.7% of the replies, and the remainder of the professionals discarded them inside plastic bottles. The majority of professionals discarded chemical products in the public sewerage system (50%; 70.6% and 63.6%). CONCLUSION: The majority of dentists correctly separate and accommodate their infectant residues, however, approximately 20% of these professions do not discard the residues correctly, by not separating infectant from common residues. Furthermore, the majority of professionals handle chemical residues inadequately (sewerage).