Sharp practice

On May 11, this year, a new law came into force that will affect every dental practice in the country. These new regulations build on the existing law and provide specific detail on requirements that must be met by employers and their staff.

Needlestick injuries are common, and many go unreported, so it is difficult to get exact figures. However, information from the Royal College of Nursing suggests that there are about 100,000 needlestick injuries per year in the NHS, while a survey among US dentists indicated that they on average sustain three injuries a year, a third of which are related to needles. In Scotland a study showed that non-sterile inoculation injuries occurred at a yearly rate of 1.7 and about 30 per cent of these constituted a moderate or high risk of transmission of infection to the dentist. Sharps injuries can of course be sustained from probes and other instruments, but overwhelmingly they occur in dentistry during resheathing/recapping and disposal of the needle after use in order for the syringe to be dismantled and the appropriate parts sterilised.