| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 4
| Issue : 4 | Page : 174-178 |
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Medical waste management in dental clinics in Tripoli/Libya
Rema A. E Shampe1, Raga A Elzahaf2, Madi Tawfiq Abd-Elwali Al-Jaghbir3, Abdelkader Battah4
1 Department of Dental Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Az Zawia University, Zawiya, Libya; Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
2 Department of Public Health, College of Medical Technology, Derna, Libya; Middle East and North African Research Group, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
3 Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
4 Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Raga A Elzahaf
Department of Public Health, College of Medical Technology, Derna
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/LJMS.LJMS_25_20
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Background: Dental clinics are important and essential for the health and safety of individuals in the community and they are indispensable for the provision of medical and therapeutic services for the diagnosis of oral diseases, gum and teeth. As important as the other health centers, good and appropriate management of medical waste in dental clinics is very important to ensure safety for staff in the clinic. Objectives: Evaluating the level of medical waste management in dental clinics in Tripoli/ Libya. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 201 respondents: dentists, nurses, and assistants dentist chosen from 67 clinics out of 135 clinics. A questionnaire was used to two sections. The data were analyzed by using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) software, version 19.0 (SPSS Inc.). Results: 39.8% of respondents who were separating contaminated blood from non-contaminated waste and 82.1% of respondent's disposal liquid waste such as blood and saliva through the sewage network. However, there was no statistically significant difference in medical waste management between male and female dental staff in Tripoli, Libya (t = 0.376, P = 0.170). Conclusions: The methods of medical waste management practiced in the most dental clinics were inappropriate. The study demonstrated that there was lack of knowledge among workers in dental clinics regarding the disposal procedures and dealing with waste. Therefore, it is necessary to re-assess safety protocols by authorities and intervene quickly by introducing spread awareness of health and safety in dental clinics and in forcing regulations.
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