Analysis of Solid Waste Management in Dental Clinics Located in Rio Grande Do Sul

Abstract

One of the main challenges that involve the environmental sanitation problem is proper solid waste management. Several aspects relative to the production and management of the different types of waste produced in dental offices have a negative impact on humans and on the environment. In light of this, the present paper sought to evaluate the volume of waste generated by three facilities of a network of dental clinics. Through a qualitative approach, a questionnaire was drawn up with open questions to be answered by three dental clinics. The questionnaires were collected in the month of October 2020, and the respondents were collaborators of three companies based in the cities of Marau, Dom Pedritoand São Gabriel, located in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. In the sequence, after getting all necessary information, the following steps were taken: the transcription of the answers, a descriptive analysis of collected data and the interpretation of the results. It was ascertained that in all dental clinics investigated, the collection and disposal procedures are similar. It was concluded that among the waste generated by the facilities, the one that requires the most care is general waste, like paper, cardboard boxes, plastic wrap, due to the amount discarded and the lack of a management plan for recycling this type of waste, seeing that there is no selective collection in most municipalities. Key words: environmental management, dental office waste, sustainability