Management of dental waste in dental offices and clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic profile of the participating dentists.

		Total (N = 314)		Public (N = 244)		Private (N = 70)
		n	%	n	%	n	%
Gender	Male	104	33.1	72	29.5	32	45.7
	Female	210	66.9	172	70.5	38	54.3
Rank	Intern	182	58.0	12	62.3	30	42.9
	GD	64	20.4	45	18.4	19	27.1
	Specialist	38	12.1	27	11.1	11	15.7
	Consultant	30	9.6	20	8.2	10	14.3
Clinical experience (years)	≤ 5	246	78.3	197	80.7	49	70.0
	> 5 to ≤ 10	41	13.1	30	12.3	11	15.7
	> 10 to ≤ 15	12	3.8	6	2.5	6	8.6
	> 15	15	4.8	11	4.5	4	5.7

Table 2. Participants responses about the waste management protocol and policies in their practices.

Questions/Items		n	%
Waste collection, handling, and storage at the clinic is done by:	Dentist	75	24.0
	Dental assistant	100	32.0
	Cleaner or waste handler personnel	139	44.0
Did you receive any professional training on waste management?	Yes	105	33.4
	No	172	54.8
	I don’t know	37	11.8
Are you aware of any document outlining dental waste’s management policy?	Yes	176	56.1
	No	138	43.9
Are you aware of color-coding for different types of biomedical wastes?	Yes	212	67.5
	No	102	32.5

Table 3. Responses to different knowledge questions.

Question	Possible Answers	n	%
Q1 K: Where is silver amalgam excess stored?	Disposed of into common bin	25	8.0
	Stored in an air-tight container	42	13.4
	Stored in an air-tight container with water	97	30.9
	Stored in fixer solution	24	7.6
	I don’t know	126	40.1
Q2 K: Where are lead foils disposed of?	Common bin	38	12.1
	Stored and disposed of in separate container	45	14.3
	Sold to certified buyers	16	5.1
	Others (RVG/no unit)	27	8.6
	I don’t know	188	59.9
Q3 K: Where are exposed X-ray films disposed of?	Stored separately and disposed of in common bin	47	15.0
	Buried in soil	10	3.2
	Disposed of in secured landfill	31	9.9
	I don’t know	226	72.0
Q4 K: Where areorthodontic wires and brackets disposed of?	Deformed and disposed of in common bin	40	12.7
	Sold to certified buyers	21	6.7
	Other “Sharps Container containing 1% Sodium hypochlorite”	63	20.1
	I don’t know	190	60.5
Q5 K: Where are developer and fixer solutions disposed of?	disposed into sewer	20	6.4
	Diluted and led into sewer	36	11.5
	Returned to the supplier	14	4.5
	Others (RVG/no unit)	15	4.8
	I don’t know	229	72.9
Q6 K: Where are outdated and contaminated medicines disposed of?	Common bin	32	10.2
	Deformed and disposed of in common bin	20	6.4
	Buried in soil	8	2.5
	Disposed of in secured landfill	42	13.4
	I don’t know	212	67.5
Q7 K: Where does final dental care waste get disposed of?	Corporation bin	39	12.4
	Certified collectors	108	34.4
	I don’t know	167	53.2
Q8 K: How long is dental waste kept before being removed from the clinic\storage area?	5 days or less	191	60.8
	More than 5 days	12	3.8
	I don’t know	111	35.4
Correct responses are highlighted.

Table 4. Responses to different behavioral questions.

Question	Possible Answers	n	%
Q1B: Do you segregate different types of wastes in your clinic?	Yes	230	73.2
	No	33	10.5
	I don’t know	51	16.2
Q2B: Do you use color-coded bags for waste disposal in your clinic?	Yes	209	66.6
	No	75	23.9
	I don’t know	30	9.6
Q3B: How do you dispose of infected needles?	Dispose of in common bin	63	20.1
	Break the needle and dispose in common bin	19	6.1
	Destroy the needle in needle burner	56	17.8
	Dispose of in puncture proof bags (or containers)	176	56.1
Q4B: Do you wear a facemask during patient treatment?	Never	5	1.6
	Sometimes	63	20.1
	Always	246	78.3
Q5B: Do you wear eye protection glasses during patient treatment?	Never	29	9.2
	Sometimes	164	52.2
	Always	121	38.5
Q6B: What type of sterilization for headpieces do you use?	Dry heat	14	4.5
	Autoclave	189	60.2
	Both	45	14.3
	I don’t know	66	21.0
Correct responses are highlighted.

Table 5. Descriptive statistics for knowledge and behavior scores.

		Knowledge		Behavior
Median		1.0		4.0
Mean		1.4		3.7
Standard Deviation		1.3		1.3
Total No. of Questions		8		6
Maximum		6		6
Minimum		0		0
No. of Correct Answers		n	%	n	%
	0	87	27.7	2	0.6
	1	100	31.8	15	4.8
	2	72	22.9	42	13.4
	3	32	10.2	63	20.1
	4	18	5.7	98	31.2
	5	4	1.3	73	23.2
	6	1	0.3	21	6.7
	7	0	0	-	-
	8	0	0	-	-
	Total	314	100	314	100

Table 6. Bivariate statistics for association between knowledge and behavior scores and different independent variables using the Mann--Whitney test.

Independent Variables		Knowledge Score					Behavior Score
		Mean	Median	Standard Deviation	P-value	Mean		Median	Standard Deviation	P-value
Gender	Male	1.8	2.0	1.3	< 0.001	3.9		4.0	1.3	0.135
	Female	1.2	1.0	1.2		3.7		4.0	1.3
Rank	Interns or GDs	1.3	1.0	1.2	0.006	3.6		4.0	1.3	0.013
	Specialists or Consultants	1.8	2.0	1.4		4.1		4.0	1.4
Type of practice	Public	1.3	1.0	1.2	0.001	3.6		4.0	1.3	0.008
	Private	1.8	2.0	1.3		4.1		4.0	1.2
Clinical experience (years)	≤ 10	1.3	1.0	1.2	0.001	3.6		4.0	1.3	< 0.001
	> 10	2.1	2.0	1.3		4.7		5.0	1.3