Hermesch C B, Spackman G K, Dodge W W, Salazar A
Department of General Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7914, USA.
J Dent Educ. 1999 Nov;63(11):814-20.
Cornstarch powder on latex examination gloves acts as an airborne carrier of natural latex allergens resulting in cutaneous, conjunctival, and/or respiratory responses to latex, a particular concern in a dental school environment where concentrated use of latex examination gloves occurs. This study measured airborne powder levels associated with a trial substitution of powder-free latex examination gloves for powdered latex examination gloves in a dental school clinic. Secondary aims of the study were to assess user acceptance of powder-free gloves during the trial and to assess the financial impact of converting the entire dental school to a powder-free environment. Air was sampled from two areas (dispensary and treatment room) of a student clinic fifteen to thirty minutes before the beginning of normal clinic sessions and again about 1.5 hours into the clinic session. The samples were microscopically analyzed for particulate counts of cornstarch powder. A written survey instrument assessed user acceptance of the two types of gloves. Historical financial data were used to estimate the cost of converting the entire dental school to a powder-free environment. Both the dispensary and the treatment room showed significant reductions in airborne powder counts during use of powder-free latex gloves and a return to high powder counts with resumption of powdered glove use. During the weeks of powdered glove use, the powder counts were also significantly lower before the beginning of the clinic session and higher during the clinic session. User acceptance of the powder-free latex gloves was high. The increased cost per year to convert the entire dental school to a powder-free environment was estimated to be $13,943.
乳胶检查手套上的玉米淀粉粉末可作为天然乳胶过敏原的空气传播载体，导致对乳胶产生皮肤、结膜和/或呼吸道反应，这在牙科学校环境中是一个特别令人担忧的问题，因为在该环境中会大量使用乳胶检查手套。本研究测量了在牙科学校诊所中，用无粉乳胶检查手套替代有粉乳胶检查手套的试验过程中空气中的粉末水平。该研究的次要目的是评估试验期间用户对无粉手套的接受程度，并评估将整个牙科学校转变为无粉环境的财务影响。在正常门诊开始前十五至三十分钟，以及门诊开始约1.5小时后，从学生诊所的两个区域（药房和治疗室）采集空气样本。对样本进行显微镜分析，以确定玉米淀粉粉末的颗粒计数。使用书面调查问卷评估用户对这两种手套的接受程度。利用历史财务数据估算将整个牙科学校转变为无粉环境的成本。在使用无粉乳胶手套期间，药房和治疗室空气中的粉末计数均显著降低，而恢复使用有粉手套后，粉末计数又回升至高位。在使用有粉手套的几周内，门诊开始前的粉末计数也显著较低，而在门诊期间则较高。用户对无粉乳胶手套的接受度很高。将整个牙科学校转变为无粉环境每年增加的成本估计为13,943美元。
