Determination of laser application status and awareness to occupation health problems of dentists

This was a descriptive-cross sectional study aimed to determine general health status, occupational health problems, preventive measures and laser application of dentists. The population of the study was all dentists working at public, private and dentistry faculty in Gaziantep (n=313). Response rate was 95.4%. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Chi‑ square tests. According to the study results, 62.0% of dentists were males and 55.9% had less than 10 years occupational experience. The mean age of the participants was 36.66±11.77 years. Most dentists (68.1%) reported their health status good or very good. The prevalence of at least one work-related health problem among the dentists was found to be 86.6%. Musculoskeletal system disorder was the most common problem experienced (70.9%), followed by percutaneous exposure incidents (63.9%). The majority of the dentists (91.7%) were vaccinated against hepatitis B virus. Gloves (99.4%), masks (98.4%) and aprons (96.8%) were the most used personal protective equipments. Most of the dentists (63.6%) who were using amalgam in dental practices reported that they disposed amalgam waste properly. In dental practices laser was being used by the 16.3% of dentists. Consequently, it was seen that occupational disorders are common among dentists and preventive measures are taken by most of the dentists. Setting an upper limit for the number of patients per day and providing enough time to relax for dentists while working will be beneficial. In private health institutions, new regulations and supervisions should be performed for disposal of amalgam waste. Key Words: Dentists, Gaziantep, Occupational Health Problems.