Dental Waste Management , A Community –Based Need

Introduction: Dental waste can be hazardous to human health and our environment. Proper management of dental wastes is essential elements of dental offices, clinics and hospitals. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the dentist awareness of current laws and regulations on the dental waste management . Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 120 randomly chosen dentists in 2018. A survey of 22 open and closed questions designed to provide an overview of current awareness and practices on management of dental waste in the city of Zanjan in north west part of Iran. Chi square and descriptive methods were applied by SPSS 21 for statistical analysis (P<0.05). Results: In this study which 40 women and 80 men dentists participated, 96% of respondents confirmed the absence of general written plans and procedures for dental waste management in their office or clinic,4% (5 respondents) had participated in training programs on healthcare waste management, 27% and 23% of dentists (28respondents) stated that they were in compliance with national guidelines in environmental regulations on medical wastes safety and in dental waste management respectively. There was not any significant difference from the point of gender in their awareness about the dental waste management. Conclusion: The participants' awareness on Dental waste management, which was not satisfactory ,is a complicated issue requiring training not only in continued education but also in the mandatory curricula of under and higher education degrees dedicated to dentistry .This highlights the need to define guidelines, laws and regulations at least at a national level.