Dental composite related allergic reactions in dentists working in Karachi

ABSTRACT

Dental professional and their supporting staff daily handle many materials and chemicals with their uncovered hands. One of the most widely used chemical is methyl methacrylate monomer based dental material. Materials based on methacrylate and its polymer appear to be a significant reason for contact dermatitis in dental personnel. There may be other unfavourable effects on health. Objectives of the study was to see the effect of uncured polymeric resin composite material on the health of dental personnel. This survey based cross-sectional study was done on 330 dentists working in different areas of Karachi. Data were collected by interviews, telephonic conversations or by mailing questionnaire to the participants. The sampling area was the Karachi city and sampling method was non-random convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. Results showed that methyl methacrylate based resin composite material is a source of various allergic reactions among the dental personnel. It was concluded that the material can have adverse effects on dental practitioners and patients