Analysis of the management of solid dental waste at the Court of Justice of Pernambuco

Abstract

Issues related to the preservation of the environment have gained increasing relevance, especially in the last five decades. Among them, special attention is given to the management of waste produced in health facilities. Such concern is justified by the high risk of environmental contamination that they can cause. This study aimed to analyze how dental waste is handled and disposed of at the Desembargador Ângelo Jordão Filho Ambulatory, which is part of the Pernambuco Court of Justice (TJPE) and serves an average of one thousand patients monthly. In the dental service, developing and fixing solutions (which contain silver bromide, methol, sodium sulfite, hydroquinone, etc.) and heavy metals such as lead and mercury are used. These materials are not biodegradable and have a high degree of toxicity, and can cause significant damage to the environment if the handling and disposal does not take place within the standards established by the bodies responsible for preserving nature. A questionnaire was applied to the entire population surveyed, consisting of thirteen dentists, to analyze the model for managing the waste generated. From the analysis of the interviews, it was found that 77% of respondents stated that they did not have courses on dental waste management in the period of professional training and only 38% of them reported having knowledge of the Health Service Waste Management Plan (PGRSS) applied in the local. The data showed that the TJPE needs to make more efforts to promote continued training on the topic addressed along with the human material that makes up the framework of the dentistry sector of the researched outpatient clinic.