Awareness and Practices of Waste segregation among Dental Assistants in Public sector Tertiary care Hospitals of Islamabad

Abstract

Background Medical waste is the most environmentally hazardous waste because it can hold possibly fatal pathogens and presents a danger of infection transmission from health care facilities to health care providers. Dental surgery units produce a lot of infectious waste such as microbial materials infected tools and pathological waste like blood products, sharps and infectious prosthesis. These hazardous materials, unless made safe might be dangerous to everyone who encounters it. Objectives This study was conducted to assess the Awareness and Practices of Waste segregation among Dental Assistants in Public sector Tertiary care Hospitals of Islamabad. It also explored the association between sociodemographic characteristics and outcome variables. Methodology A cross-sectional study was carried out at Tertiary hospital of Islamabad. A total of 129 dental assistants were included in the study. An adapted questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results A total of 136 respondents were included in this study. Majority of the respondents were male n=77(56.6%) and were 21-35 years of age group 58(42.6%). Among them 97(71.3%) were married. Overall awareness and practices were satisfactory. Level of education, training on waste management and length of service were found significantly associated with the outcome of study. iv Conclusion Medical waste management is a crucial yet neglected domain in the developing world. Infectious diseases still contribute two third of total burden in low income countries. Dental surgery procedures result in production considerable amount of infectious and domestic waste which is needed to be handled according to guidelines. All dental professionals and paradental staff must be trained and sensitized for efficient handling of materials and equipment. Keywords Awareness, Bio-Medical waste, Practices, Dental assistants