Occupational Exposure-Injury and Compliance with Standard Safety Precautions in Dental Health Professionals: An Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has made considering employee health and safety in healthcare institutions mandatory. This research was carried out to determine the level of compliance with standard safety precautions of dental health professionals (DHPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, reveal the factors affecting their exposure to infected material, and examine their injury status. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 110 DHPs working in an Oral and Dental Health Centre in Türkiye. Data were obtained through the standard safety precautions compliance scale and a questionnaire about occupational exposure, injury status and causes of injury. Descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U test were used for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associated factors of occupational exposure and injury. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p < .05 were used to explain statistically significant associations. DHPs showed a high level of compliance with the standard safety precautions (86.0 ± 7.16 Min: 62–Max: 95) during the COVID-19 pandemic, but still 33% of them experienced infected material exposure or injury. As a result of the binary logistic regression analysis, the strongest predictor of exposure to infected material and injury for the participants was the variable of ‘compliance with the rules for the use of personal protective equipment’ (OR: 1.277; 95% CI: 1.024–1.592). It was determined that the participants who did not comply with the rules for using personal protective equipment were 1.27 times more likely to be exposed to infected material and injured. Another predictor in the model is the variable of working years in the institution (OR: 0.153; 95% CI: 0.026–0.888). To protect the safety and well-being of DHPs, it is important to ensure high compliance with standardised safety precautions as well as well-coordinated and comprehensive environmental measures. It is expected that the results obtained from the research will increase awareness of the subject in health institutions.