Prevalence of manufacturing defects in latex examination gloves used in selected dental practices in central Saudi Arabia

Authors

• Abdullah S. Al-Swuailem, Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, PO Box 60169, Riyadh 11545, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (11) 4677315. Fax. +966 (11) 4679017. E-mail: Alswuaielm{at}ksu.edu.sa

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the defect rates in latex examination gloves used in selected dental practices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 796 latex examination gloves were collected from 5 governmental hospitals and 5 private dental practices between April 2012 and May 2012. The gloves were assessed for presence of defects visually (VT) and using water inflation test (WIT). One and 2 sample t-tests were used to assess significant differences in defect rates among each latex brand, and between governmental hospitals and private dental practices. RESULTS: Defects in latex gloves were more likely to be identified using WIT compared with VT (20.2% versus 4.3%, p=0.000). Using WIT, examined latex gloves had a defect rate approximately 8 times the acceptable quality level of 2.5% (20.2%, p=0.000). Using WIT, gloves used in private dental practices had significantly higher defect rates compared with governmental dental clinics (25.6% versus 14.6%, p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Most latex examination gloves used in the sampled governmental dental clinics and private dental practices in Riyadh had significantly higher preexisting defect rates than acceptable standard levels.

Article Type

Research Article

First Page

729

Last Page

733

Recommended Citation

Al-Swuailem, Abdullah S. (2014) "Prevalence of manufacturing defects in latex examination gloves used in selected dental practices in central Saudi Arabia," Saudi Medical Journal: Vol. 35: Iss. 7, Article 13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/1658-3175.5988