Infection prevention and control in dental surgeries in the Pará state prison system in Brazil

Abstract

Prison populations have higher levels of bloodborne viruses with consequently higher risks of cross-infection. This study assessed infection prevention and occupational hazards in prison dental surgeries in the Brazilian state of Pará. Investigations were undertaken by a single examiner in 11 prison clinics. Manual washing of instruments with no detergents and dry heat sterilization were the main instrument decontamination methods used. Most surgeries had insufficient instruments for daily clinical work requirements. Half of dentists interviewed worked single-handed with no documented policies or health and safety procedures.

Conhecimento dos profissionais de saúde bucal sobre o processamento de produtos para a saúde

“…Foram avaliadas 11 clínicas de prisão, onde a lavagem manual de produtos para saúde sem uso de substâncias adequadas e esterilização por estufas sem o monitoramento do processo eram os principais métodos de descontaminação utilizados. 23 Espera-se que os resultados deste estudo estimulem a realização de ações educativas e de vigilância para uma prática segura de processamento de produtos para a saúde executada pela equipe de saúde bucal da APS, além de trazer à tona a necessidade de ampliar essa discussão na formação dos profissionais e na realização de novas pesquisas na temática.…”

Occupational health hazards in contemporary dentistry – a review

“…The source of biohazards is, in most cases, the patient (direct and indirect transmission pathways), but it may also be the water used in a dental unit. Four main pathways of spreading biohazards in dental medicine are identified: blood-borne route (by blood of an infected patient), saliva-droplet route (droplet aerosol from an infected patient containing infected body fluids); direct contact with a patient and contaminated equipment; water-droplet route (water droplet aerosol from handpieces of a dental unit which may contain biofilm with biohazards inside a unit tubing) [19,[23][24][25][26].…”