Needlestick injuries among dental health care workers in non- hospital settings

We used Washington State worker compensation claims (1995-2001) to characterize equipment and the mechanism of needlestick injuries (NSIs) among dental health care workers. Out of 3,655 needle-stick injuries reported 894 (24%) were among dental health care workers including dentists (n=66, 1.8%), dental hygienists (n=161, 4.4%) and dental assistants (667, 18.2%). The proportion of injuries increased progressively each year, from 8.7% in 1995 to 24.2% in 2001. Most (n=781, 87%) of the injuries involved syringes, dental instruments (n=77, 9%), and a lancet (n=23, 2.6%). A large proportion (90%) of injuries occurred in offices and clinics of dentists, offices of clinics and of doctors of medicine (9%), and a few in specialty outpatient facilities (1%). Out of 894 dental health care workers with needle-stick injuries there was evidence of HVB (n=6), HCV (n=30), HIV (n=3), and both HBV HVC (n=2) exposure Out of hospital needle-stick injuries are a substantial risk to dental health care workers in Washington State.