Biomedical waste management in dental practice and its significant environmental impact: A perspective

ABSTRACT

Biomedical waste (BMW) is an emerging occupational and environmental health hazard in the health care platform. BMW in any form generated from hospitals during diagnosis, surgery, management of patients, antibiotics, radioactive isotope needs proper handling and disposal. In the field of dentistry, mercury waste, waste from dental amalgam, lead, and silver-containing waste were often found and have severe risks for health and are also environmental hazards. This also has an impact and risk of airborne pathogens if its improperly handled and disposed of. All these contaminated waste-like syringes, needles, sharps, blood-soaked gauze, which leads to infections, must be properly disposed of in various color codes indicated for a certain category of biomedical waste as per the guidelines from the government for the disposal. This article throws light on the categories of biomedical waste and extensive literature review on the research performed, waste generated from dental Clinics and hospitals. Environmental audit guidelines in the health care sector and its importance, alternative waste handling methods like the robotic model, which is an artificial intelligence employed to handle biomedical waste at a large scale, are discussed.