Open AccessKnowledge and Attitude of Dentists towards the Use and Safety of Amalgam, Observance of Mercury Hygiene and Amalgam Waste Management
Author(s) -
Komal Imran,
Sahibzadi Moaizza Fatima Gondal,
Syeda Fatima Tu Zahra,
Ajmal Yousaf,
Mohib Ullah,
Dil Rasheed
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
life and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2708-2970
pISSN - 2521-0475
DOI - 10.37185/lns.1.1.220
Subject(s) - amalgam (chemistry) , medicine , dentistry , mercury (programming language) , hygiene , cross sectional study , chemistry , electrode , pathology , computer science , programming language
Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitude of dentists of Rawalpindi and Islamabad towards the use andsafety of amalgam, observance of mercury hygiene and amalgam waste management.Study Design: Cross Sectional survey.Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at Operative Dentistry Department of AFIDst th Rawalpindi, from 1 March to 31 April 2021.Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire was circulated among 384 private and public hospital dentistsof Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Final questionnaire consisted of close ended questions related to demographicdetails, questions regarding the handling and disposal of amalgam and perception of dentists regardingmercury hygiene. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and evaluated as frequencies, percentages, meanand standard deviation. Chi-square test was used to correlate demographic to the responses of the participantsto the items of the questionnaire.Results: Majority of the dentists were doing 5-10 amalgam restorations per week (34.6%) but they didn't placerubber dam while restoring tooth with amalgam (95.7%). Most of the dentists take no specific measures forstoring leftover amalgam (65.4%) and do not periodically monitor mercury vapor (91.5%).Conclusion: The majority of dentists of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are not following dental mercury hygienerecommendations as there is a significant lack of knowledge regarding mercury hygiene and amalgam wastedisposal.