Prevalence of Latex Glove Hypersensitivity among Dental Personnel in Dental Polyclinic of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (A Questionnaire

Introduction: Latex hypersensitivity is one of the problems in healthcare workers. This problem affects the productivity of the workers due to the hypersensitivity symptoms. In Dental Polyclinic USIM, there have been complaints by dental personnel regarding the usage of latex glove. However, there was no data that have been documented. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of self-reported latex glove hypersensitivity among dental personnel in Dental Polyclinic of UniversitiSains Islam Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using purposive non-probability sampling technique. 196 dental personnel in Dental Polyclinic USIM who used natural latex gloves in their work were selected. Questionnaire on respondent’s information on latex glove hypersensitivity was sent by email to the respondents and data collection was done from August to September 2015. Nevertheless, only 91% response was obtained. Result: From 175 returned questionnaires, 55 (31.4%) respondents showed to have latex hypersensitivity symptoms. The most type of hypersensitivity symptoms was irritant contact dermatitis in 35 (20.1%) respondents, followed by Type IV response with delayed hypersensitivity in 14 (8.05%) respondents and immediate hypersensitivity Type I reaction in 6 (3.4%) respondents. Data analysis was done using Chi-Square test and there was a significant association between the latex allergy and the hours of exposure (p <0.05). Conclusion: Approximately one third (31.5%) of the dental personnel in Dental Polyclinic USIM has latex glove hypersensitivity through this questionnaire based study. Further study and further medical assessments need to be done to confirm the latex hypersensitivity among dental personnel, followed by specific measures in order to manage the hypersensitivity symptoms in clinical setting.