Pneumoconiosis and respiratory problems in dental laboratory technicians: Analysis of 893 dental technicians
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, cilt.27, sa.5, ss.785-796, 2014 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 27 Sayı: 5
- Basım Tarihi: 2014
- Doi Numarası: 10.2478/s13382-014-0301-9
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.785-796
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Dental laboratory technicians, High-resolution computed tomography, Occupational respiratory disease, Pneumoconiosis, Pulmonary function
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Objectives: To explore the rate of pneumoconiosis in dental technicians (DTP) and to evaluate the risk factors. Material and Methods: Data of 893 dental technicians, who were admitted to our hospital in the period January 2007–May 2012, from 170 dental laboratories were retrospectively examined. Demographic data, respiratory symptoms, smoking status, work duration, working fields, exposure to sandblasting, physical examination findings, chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography results were evaluated. Results: Dental technicians’ pneumoconiosis rate was 10.1% among 893 cases. The disease was more common among males and in those exposed to sandblasting who had 77-fold higher risk of DTP. The highest profusion subcategory was 3/+ (according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2011 standards) and the large opacity rate was 13.3%. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, it was the largest DTP case series (N = 893/90) in the literature in English. Health screenings should be performed regularly for the early diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, which is an important occupational disease for dental technicians.