Health service waste management by dentists in Planalto Serrano Catarinense

Abstract:

The objective was to evaluate the management of waste from health services by dentists who work in public and private networks. The study was a field, quantitative, and descriptive research with 48 public and private network professionals. Data collection took place between December 2020 and March 2021, through the application of a questionnaire with 40 questions, which was disseminated in social networks and applied via Google Forms after approval by the Research Ethics Committee. Data were submitted to descriptive statistics and the association test between variables (chi-square). It was observed that 29.17% of the participants are not aware of the disposal of Health Service Waste (RSS), 39.58% are unaware of the disposal procedures for expired medicines and their leftovers, 47.92% are unaware of the Health Service Waste Management Plan, 45.83% are unaware of how long it has been implemented, and 77.08% stated lack of training on RSS management, as the main difficulty pointed out for adequate waste management. It is essential to promote permanent education practices that contribute to training and professional performance on RSS management and instigate the implementation and operation of the municipal waste management plan.

Keywords:
waste management; dental waste; public health; environmental health