title: Evaluation of Glove Damage during Dental Procedures among Dental Specialists in Tabriz.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dental practitioners are prone to occupational risk of infection. This can be prevented in part by wearing gloves. However, for this to be effective, gloves should be intact during the entire course of dental procedure. Leaky surgical latex gloves have been seen in 0.9% of cases before use. As much as 1.9% of latex gloves have been reported to be damaged during dental procedures. In this study, we decided to assess glove damage during dental procedures among dental specialists in Tabriz.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six dental specialists were selected for this study. Each practitioner received 40 pairs of intact powdered latex gloves. Upon the completion of dental procedures, the gloves were retrieved and any tears were evaluated separately for right and left hands. Data was analyzed using chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  159 punctures were detected in 144 gloves (5%) out of 2880 unpaired gloves used by practitioners. They noticed the tear(s) in 60 cases (2%), however, 99 cases (3%) of tear(s) were not noted during the procedure. The highest rate of glove damage was observed in the prosthodontists' group (12.3%), which was statistically significant comparing to other groups (p=0.048). The lowest rate of the damage was observed in the oral surgeons' group (2%) which showed no significant difference (p=0.134). The highest rate of punctures in the gloves was observed in the first and second fingers of the non-dominant hand.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The damage to 5% of the gloves is highly significant, with a potential role in occupational hazards. The higher rate of leaks in the prosthodontists' group compared to other groups demands for greater prudence in this field. The high rate of leaks in the first and second fingers of the non-dominant hand requires more attention to this area during daily practice.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghavi Zenouz
authors.forename: Masoumeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahdipour
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pakravan
authors.forename: Javad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yazdani
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nezafati
authors.forename: Ali Hossein
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mesgarzaded
authors.forename: Seyed Ahmad
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Arta
keywords: Infection control; occupational hazard; protective glove