Quantification of Dental Health Care Waste Generated among Private Dental Practices in Bengaluru City

BACKGROUND: Bengaluru, in India has more than 1148 practicing dentists for a population of 8.42 million. The amount and type of dental health care waste (DHCW) generated by the dental practitioners has to be assessed prior to chalking out and implementation of an effective DCHW management plan. Currently, there is no evidence available regarding the quantity, type, and method of disposal adopted by these practitioners. Hence, this study was conducted with the objective of estimating the quantity of DHCW by the private dental practitioners in Bengaluru city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample size was estimated to be 110. The sampling frame was constituted from the registered dental practitioners in Bengaluru with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Karnataka. Sampling strategy employed included a probability proportional sampling strategy for the four zones in Bengaluru followed by a simple random sampling of clinics from each zone. Standardized weight method was followed to estimate the quantity of different category of waste. Three data collectors who were trained and calibrated collected the information regarding the type and quantity of waste generated, the nature of practice and years of establishment. RESULTS: Total quantity of waste generated was 0.161 kg/clinic/day with 0.130 kg and 0.026 kg of infectious and recyclables, respectively. The projected data for the actual number of private practices in Bengaluru city showed alarming figures of 41,535 kg and 8307 kg of infectious and recyclable waste being generated every year. Data also showed poor management practices of lead foil and plaster of paris and alarming figures projected annual quantity. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrated large quantities of hazardous waste generation and poor segregation practices of the practitioners. This warrants the immediate need for collective, voluntary measures to be initiated for appropriate and effective management of DHCW.