IF one should decide that they want to embark on a dentistry career, they need to be advised by a seasoned professional. One of my students at the Dr. Cheddi Jagan Dental Centre remarked that part of the reason he chose a career in dentistry was that it was not risky. It is not surprising that most people do not consider the dental profession to be a dangerous one. But the fact of the matter is that the practice of dentistry is not without its share of occupational hazards. Perhaps patients would empathise more with their dentists by exhibiting greater understanding and cooperation if they were aware that the dentist’s personal well-being might be compromised in the process of treating them.

Long hours of tedious work under sub-optimal ergonomic conditions and frequent encounters with apprehensive patients are stress factors, which may predispose to musculoskeletal and circulatory diseases (especially high blood pressure).

Micro aerosols may lead to eye and respiratory infections. Accidental cuts or abrasions carry the risk of serious viral infections, including COVID-19 and AIDS. Recent studies in the United States indicate the highest incidence of viral hepatitis in any single group among dentists.

Although the dangers a dentist faces are numerous, the most common hazard is the consequence of being in close contact with a series of biomaterials, drugs, and other chemicals necessary to run a dental clinic.

Dermatoses following contact with chemically active substances are usually referred to as either irritative or allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The irritative type may be acute toxic nature, causing direct and immediate poisoning of skin cells. A more common reaction pattern in the dental setting is the cumulative insult dermatitis, caused by repeated contact with a chemical agent at subtoxic concentrations.

A document published by the Medical Faculty of Paris in France, which researched occupational hazards of dentists for 40 years, revealed the eczema of the hands is frequently seen. It was noted that the causative agents were formalin, iodine, mercury, eugenol, novocaine, soaps, phenol, hydroquinone, tricresol and phosphoric acid.

It was shown that even with the use of latex rubber gloves that there was evidence that sweat mixed with the powder lubricant in the gloves might cause skin disorders. In addition, many dental materials, including the new synthetic resin-based products, are capable of penetrating the rubber gloves usually worn by dentists. Formalin reactions have reappeared as an occasional dermal reaction to formal dehydrated, “wet-strength-quality” paper facemasks used by dental and medical personnel.

Disinfectants and clinical detergents represent an important array of substances that can cause dermatoses for dental personnel. Ironically, excessive hand washing can aggravate skin lesions caused by the spray type local anaesthetic (pantocaine). This is one of the reasons why this product has since been taken off the market.

Finally, while questionnaires filled out by German dentists suggest that a large part of the occupation-related dermatoses and other such complaints are relatively bearable, the same survey indicates that the perpetual threat of contracting AIDS and hepatitis makes the dental profession as dangerous as any.