Percutaneous exposure injuries among dental staff and students at a university dental clinic in Australia: A 6-year retrospective study

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Author(s)
Zachar, Jessica Joanna
Reher, Peter
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2021
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PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Dental care providers are at risk of percutaneous exposure injuries (PEIs) due to the intimate nature of the patient-dentist environment and the routine use of sharp instruments. They are the most vulnerable to accidental exposure of blood borne viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the types of PEIs sustained by staff and students at the Griffith University Dental Clinic over a six-year period. METHODS: Data was collected regarding PEIs sustained among dental staff and students between 2014 and 2019. Data was obtained from the risk incident reporting system (GSafe) and the patient management ...
View more >PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Dental care providers are at risk of percutaneous exposure injuries (PEIs) due to the intimate nature of the patient-dentist environment and the routine use of sharp instruments. They are the most vulnerable to accidental exposure of blood borne viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the types of PEIs sustained by staff and students at the Griffith University Dental Clinic over a six-year period. METHODS: Data was collected regarding PEIs sustained among dental staff and students between 2014 and 2019. Data was obtained from the risk incident reporting system (GSafe) and the patient management Software (Titanium), and then analysed using IBM SPSS. Chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regressions were performed with significance set at <0.05. RESULTS: Over the six-year period, there were 308 PEIs with an incidence rate of 0.109%, with 67 being needle stick injuries (0.023%). These injuries happened more often in restorative procedures, followed by local anaesthesia and oral surgery. Dental students were at a greater risk of sustaining PEIs (65.6%) when compared with professional staff (34.4%). Most common instruments included needles (21.8%), probes (20.5%) and burs (18.2%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the incidence of percutaneous injuries at the Griffith University Dental Clinic was low. The most common instruments were needles, probes and burs, and dental students were at greatest risk of sustaining injuries. Prevention of injuries by not recapping needles, immediate removal of burs from handpieces, the use of cassettes and single use instruments has effectively decreased PEIs experienced by dental students and staff.
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View more >PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Dental care providers are at risk of percutaneous exposure injuries (PEIs) due to the intimate nature of the patient-dentist environment and the routine use of sharp instruments. They are the most vulnerable to accidental exposure of blood borne viruses. The aim of this study was to determine the types of PEIs sustained by staff and students at the Griffith University Dental Clinic over a six-year period. METHODS: Data was collected regarding PEIs sustained among dental staff and students between 2014 and 2019. Data was obtained from the risk incident reporting system (GSafe) and the patient management Software (Titanium), and then analysed using IBM SPSS. Chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regressions were performed with significance set at <0.05. RESULTS: Over the six-year period, there were 308 PEIs with an incidence rate of 0.109%, with 67 being needle stick injuries (0.023%). These injuries happened more often in restorative procedures, followed by local anaesthesia and oral surgery. Dental students were at a greater risk of sustaining PEIs (65.6%) when compared with professional staff (34.4%). Most common instruments included needles (21.8%), probes (20.5%) and burs (18.2%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the incidence of percutaneous injuries at the Griffith University Dental Clinic was low. The most common instruments were needles, probes and burs, and dental students were at greatest risk of sustaining injuries. Prevention of injuries by not recapping needles, immediate removal of burs from handpieces, the use of cassettes and single use instruments has effectively decreased PEIs experienced by dental students and staff.
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Journal Title
European Journal of Dental Education
Copyright Statement
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Percutaneous exposure injuries amongst dental staff and students at a university dental clinic in Australia: A 6-year retrospective study, European Journal of Dental Education, 2021, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12701. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving (http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-828039.html)
Note
This publication has been entered as an advanced online version in Griffith Research Online.
Subject
Dentistry
Curriculum and pedagogy
Dental
Education
Needlestick injuries
Patient Safety
Sharp Injuries