Professionals working in the dental health service sector call for the distribution of scrap uniforms used in operation theatres

Muhammad Azam/DTNN
azam@dt.bh/Manama

Dental Hygienist Masooma Jasim Hubail Alkalaiti said that scrap uniforms should be supplied to the dentists, dental hygienists and the dental assistants because during the course of their duties they are bound to deal with saliva and blood of the patients, which can be infectious.

She was talking to the DT News on June 23, 2015 at her clinic in Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC). She said that the personnel do not change their cloth during the work, which makes them prone to infections and increase the possibility of transmitting diseases to their family and the public.

Dr Masooma said that the dental clinics have an atmosphere similar to operation theatres. So everyone working in the clinics should be provided with the same scrap uniforms that are provided to the doctors and staff working in the operation theatres. “Scaling, deep scaling, extraction of tooth and taking biopsy are all infectious procedures,” she added.

The other source of transmission of bacteria can be the centralised air conditioners so the dental clinics should be disconnected from the centralised AC systems. Doctors wear gloves, gowns, surgical masks and precautionary glasses to prevent infections but nothing is done to prevent the spread of infections through centralised ACs, she added.