Observance of proper mercury hygiene practices by Jordanian general dental practitioners.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge and observance of proper mercury hygiene and amalgam waste management (AWM) among Jordanian general dental practitioners (GDPs).


METHODS
Interviews were conducted with randomly selected 250 Jordanian GDPs, using a specially designed questionnaire. Out of the total of 250 GDPs, 228 (91.2%) agreed to participate. The questionnaire covered aspects related to professional information and total amalgam contact (TAC) of these practitioners. The second part focused on the degree of awareness of the protocols related to mercury hygiene and safe AWM.


RESULTS
Mean TAC was 3.2+/-3.6 hours per week. Of the Jordanian practitioners, 22.6% reported no undergraduate training in amalgam safety measures. Almost a quarter of GDPs did not have proper ventilation in their clinics, around 20-25% did not use protective clothing or eye protection, 5.3% were mixing amalgam manually, and 13.9% used their bare fingers for inserting the freshly mixed amalgam. Most of unused amalgam ends up through the drain or in trash; there are no recycling facilities to be used.


CONCLUSIONS
Most Jordanian GDPs do not strictly follow the mercury hygiene and AWM guidelines. Promoting the American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines through undergraduate and postgraduate training will help GDPs acquire proper attitude towards the proper hygiene practices described in these recommendations.
Sawair
Faleh A
FA
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. sawair@ju.edu.jo
Hassoneh
Yazan
Y
Jamleh
Ahmed O
AO
Al-Rabab'ah
Mohammad
M
D000328:Adult; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000633:toxicity; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000633:toxicity; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D011482:Protective Devices; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014691:Ventilation
D006256:Hazardous Waste; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury