The perspective of occupational accidents underreporting with dentists

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify weather there are underreporting of occupational accidents occurred with dental surgeons from the municipality, São Paulo; verifying the accident frequency and if there were training for prevention. Material and Methods: A total of 134 dentist surgeons, workers from the municipality, took part of this observational and exploratory study responding to a structured questionnaire composed of 23 questions. Results: Among these, 88 (65.7%) reported at least one occupational accident, 43 (48.9%) had two or more accidents while 46 (34.3%) had none. Of the 88 professionals who had accident(s), only 48 (54.5%) notified. Underreporting was more prevalent among dentists with more years of service. Overall, 121 (90.3%) of the professionals affirmed there are no training. Conclusion: In conclusion, despite knowing the risks they are exposed to, dentists have a high frequency of accidents while performing procedures. This constitutes an important sign of dysfunction, which exposes them to risk.