Audit of waste collected over one week from ten dental practices. A pilot study.
An audit of the waste practices of ten general dental surgeries identified problems that have occurred due to the lack of specific dental guidelines or codes of practice in this area. Occupational health and safety requirements for types and locations of sharps containers, and lack of consensus on what constitutes a sharp, were identified as areas needing attention. Cross-infection control items, such as gloves, masks, single-use cups, and protective coverings, were found to constitute up to 91 per cent of total waste. When infectious waste was reclassified by the audit team as 'that waste which was visibly blood stained,' a reduction in waste in this category was made, during the audit, at each practice. The practice of disposing of radiographic fixer and developer into the sewerage system occurred in three out of the ten practices, even though the Australian Dental Association Inc. has discouraged this practice.
Farmer
G M
GM
School of Dental Science, University of Melbourne.
Stankiewicz
N
N
Michael
B
B
Wojcik
A
A
Lim
Y
Y
Ivkovic
D
D
Rajakulendran
J
J
D001769:Blood; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D019230:Dental Audit; D003762:Dental Instruments; D018057:Dental Waste / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control; D004209:Disposable Equipment; D005404:Fixatives; D005792:General Practice, Dental; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000295:instrumentation; D008397:Masks; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016272:Occupational Health; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011482:Protective Devices; D011861:Radiography, Dental; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012996:Solutions; D014739:Victoria; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
D018057:Dental Waste; D005404:Fixatives; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D012996:Solutions