Background
The dental surgeon and dental health assistant experience risk situations and must be prepared for the prevention of diseases and accidents at work.
Conclusions
We did not found cases of occupational infectious disease. Dental professionals adopt some preventive actions, but a few professionals, even knowing about the risks they will be exposed during work, do not use some protective equipment.
Methods
Cross-sectional study carried out with professionals working at the Northwestern region of Rio Grande do Sul. We carried out an interview using a structured questionnaire containing variables related to sociodemographic factors and prevention of infectious diseases. Subjects were submitted to blood collection for serological test for infectious diseases.
Objective
Evaluating the prevalence of occupational infectious diseases and prevention measures used by the DS and dental health assistants.
Results
The use of goggles and cap was higher among the dental health assistant. The dental surgeon reported frequent use of mask: 45.5% replaced the used mask at each new patient. All participants reported using gloves and changing them for each new patient. 78.3% of workers have attended patients with infectious diseases. Among professionals evaluated, dental surgeons reported the highest number of accidents with needle stick instruments (59.1%). Post-exposure prophylaxis procedures are known by 68.2% of dental surgeon and 62.5% of dental health assistant. We did not find positive results for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Conclusions: We did not found cases of occupational infectious disease. Dental professionals adopt some preventive actions, but a few professionals, even knowing about the risks they will be exposed during work, do not use some protective equipment.