Gloves are one of the protective barriers in preventing cross-infection during dental treatments. Most of the gloves are made of Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) which causes them to be allergenic. Hypoallergenic or powdered-free low protein gloves and non-latex gloves are used as alternatives to NRL gloves. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effect of using hypoallergenic gloves on hypersensitivity reactions of dental students during dental treatments.
Methods:
149 last year dental students were given a questionnaire to define the students who were sensitive to NRL. The 47 sensitive students were classified as grades 1 to 4 according to their signs and symptoms. They used latex gloves for two weeks and hypoallergenic gloves for the next following fourteen days. Their signs and symptoms (hand redness, dryness, burning sensation, blister formation, inflammation) were recorded after each 2-week period. The results were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranks, Sign, Mann-Whitney, Spearmans rho, and chi-Square tests (alpha=0.05).
Results:
From 149 students, 47 (%31.5) had a history of allergy to latex gloves, (7 male and 40 female). 100% of grade 1, 80% of grade 2, 30% of grade 3 and 50% of grade 4 participants recovered completely. Statistical analysis revealed that signs and symptoms of sensitive individuals relieved completely or partially by hypoallergenic gloves (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Using hypoallergenic gloves could be beneficial to reduce hypersensitivity reactions.