Latex exposure and allergy: a survey of general dental practitioners and dental students

Gloves are now worn routinely by most general dental practitioners and dental students while treating patients, with latex being the most commonly used glove material. By means of a questionnaire, this study surveyed 160 students in one dental school and 300 randomly selected general dental practitioners in respect of their exposure to latex. Response rates were 74.4 per cent and 57.3 per cent for dental students and practitioners respectively. Adverse skin reactions to the wearing of latex gloves was reported by 18.5 per cent of dental students and 22.8 per cent of practitioners. Analysis of the data indicated that there was an association between student year and adverse skin reaction to latex, an association between years in dental practice and adverse skin reaction to latex and a strong relationship between dentist's gender and adverse skin reaction to latex. Respondents who suffered from eczema or food allergies were more likely to have experienced an adverse skin reaction to latex glove wearing. It is concluded that adverse reactions to latex occur in significant numbers of dental students and dental practitioners, with those who reported personal and familial atopy being more likely to be affected.