Occupational Hazards in Dental Practice

See the chapter on Occupational Medicine in this best selling book- First Indian Multi-authored -Peer reviewed Oral Medicine book having Indian Data. published by Jaypee Publishers , New Delhi.
Careless Dental Practice is Dangerous
All occupations have risks associated with them. Dentistry is a health care profession which involves close proximity to patient oral cavity, bending and holding neck in awkward positions while viewing the upper teeth or palate,use of lasers (eyes) , use of mercury , use of an dental x ray unit without lead barrier, Not fulfilling the patients expectations(consumer protection problems), improper care of patients general health.
Infectious Diseases- Walk in patients in a dental clinic would be infected with TB, HIV , Hepatitis (all kinds) B variety is most worrisome. Using quality surgical masks, gloves and head cover specially for women reduces the risk of infection to acceptable levels . Use of 0-1-6 Hep-B vaccination schedule for dental students and 0-1-2-12 vaccination schedule for surgeons is mandatory with booster dose every 5 years.
Postural Problems - The faulty posture and the excessive patient load usually results in the cervical spondylosis, low back pain, tenderness in the knee joint, and the ankle joint due to the long times of standing in clinic. this is alleviated by the sit down dentistry, four handed dentistry and using proper erect posture.
Radiation Hygiene - Use of x ray machines in small un-planned clinic with no lead barriers can lead to dangerous levels of radiation exposure which may not cause somatic changes but the damage to sperm production and ovum is definitely a problem.
Mercury Poisoning - The silver amalgam filling still remains the choice for dental fillings, most clinics in district places and rural areas use hand squeezing methods for mulling the mercury. the excess may drop off on the floor and the fumes cause a lot inhalation risk. Hg has deleterious effect on nervous system and the kidney apart from being toxic generally .Silver amalgam fillings are safe for the patients as per contemporary references.
Stress is more in health care- Long years of training, lower than expected remunerations ,interpersonal problems with patients and colleagues makes personal life hell !! This may lead to Professional burnout and alcohol and tobacco abuse .
Consumer Protection Act - Any misunderstanding with patient regarding the treatment expectations and lack of proper dental treatment delivery will result in the patient wanting his money back or worse will drag u into the consumer court.

Dentist head not cvrd posture -http://www.flickr.com/photos/emrank/3657991589/sizes/s/in/photostream/

Shocking letter from BDJ april 2010

"India is passing through the same stage and perpetrating the same mistakes. Fresh dental graduates are paid less then Rs 6,000 per month (approximately US$120), with many dental graduates forced to work in call centres or to change profession. Increasing the number of health professionals is not going to help the problem and will lead to tarnishing the profession."
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v208/n7/full/sj.bdj.2010.297.html#content
While a limited number of examples are true in some of the C grade dental schools, generally the quality of dental education is not as bad as it has been made up in this BDJ letter. It is matter of opinion of the author A Singh, but personally I have been a teacher for over 24 years and worked in at least six different dental schools.I firmly believe that a major number of dental graduates are trained well and adapt to the Indian conditions and deliver the quality dental care at very affordable prices.
I strongly believe that the Dental Council of India is doing a very exemplary job of regulation of the dental education. We all professionals also have a role to play in maintaining the standards by being true to our teaching profession and pledging not to work part time or so called visiting faculty.