Knowledge, awareness and practices of dental care waste management among private dental practitioners in Tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali)

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the awareness and practices of dental care waste management among private dental practitioners in Tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 100 private dental practitioners selected by simple random sampling using a close-ended questionnaire. RESULTS: Amongst the total respondents 52% were males and 48% were females. Nearly 14% of the dental practitioners were not aware of the different categories of the waste generated in their clinics and 12% of the practitioners were not aware of the color coding used to dispose the waste. About 26% of them practiced wrong measures to dispose sharps and extracted tooth respectively. A majority 32% of Dentists did not disposed outdated and expired medicines properly. CONCLUSION: Majority of the dental practitioners was aware of categories and color coding used for disposal of different types of wastes yet they do not follow the same in their practice. Hence, strict prosecution laws should also be imposed under biomedical waste management act for the Dentists so that it should be implemented in daily practice.