title: Dental solid waste characterization and management in Iran: a case study of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.
abstract: The management of dental solid waste continues to be a major challenge, particularly in most healthcare facilities of the developing world. In Iran, few studies on management of dental solid waste and its composition are available. An effort has been made through this study to evaluate the hazardous and infectious status of dental solid waste, keeping in mind its possible role in cross-infection chain. For this study, 123 private dental centres and 36 public dental centres were selected and the composition and generation rate of dental solid waste produced were measured. Dental solid waste was classified to four main categories: (i) domestic-type; (ii) potentially infectious; (iii) chemical and pharmaceutical; and (iv) toxic, which constituted 11.7, 80.3, 6.3, and 1.7%, respectively, of the total. Also, the results indicated that the dental solid waste per patient per day generation rate for total, domestic-type, potentially infectious, chemical and pharmaceutical, and toxic wastes were 169.9, 8.6, 153.3, 11.2, and 3.3 g/patient/d, respectively. Furthermore, the per day generation rates for total, domestic-type, potentially infectious, chemical and pharmaceutical, and toxic wastes were 194.5, 22.6, 156.1, 12.3, and 3.4 kg/d, respectively. According to findings of this study, for best management of dental waste it is suggested that source reduction, separation, reuse, and recycling programmes be implemented and each section of dental waste be collected and disposed of separately and in accordance with related criteria.
authors: Health Promotion Research Center and Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
authors: Edris
authors: E
authors: Bazrafshan
authors: Leili
authors: L
authors: Mohammadi
authors: Ferdos Kord
authors: FK
authors: Mostafapour
authors: Alireza Ansari
authors: AA
authors: Moghaddam
mesh_terms: D018057:Dental Waste; D007492:Iran; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D018057:Dental Waste; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal
keywords: Chemical waste; dental solid waste; hazardous waste; healthcare waste; infectious waste