Eczema
Surveys
Dentists prone to hand eczema
Dentists are more prone to hand eczema according to a study in Sweden.
Researchers looked at the incidence
of hand eczema and related dry skin problems in dentists and found that as
many as 45 per cent of dentists suffer, in varying degrees, dry skin
problems on their hands.
A questionnaire on the skin symptoms
experienced and other background factors was sent to 3,500 dentists (over
half of Sweden's occupationally active dentists) and over 88 per cent
completed and returned the questionnaires. The same questionnaire was sent
to members of the general population, matched for age and sex.
Using a validated dermatological
report in hand eczema, the prevalence of dry and rough skin on the hands
was very high at 45 per cent and 13.5 per cent reported suffering from
hand eczema.
Dry skin and hand eczema was found
to be more common among dentists than the general population. This
difference was particularly pronounced among male dentists, which is
likely to be due to the fact that women tend to take better care of their
skin than men.
A history of childhood eczema was
found to be the most important predictor for adult hand eczema in
dentists, their work utensils seem to affect the condition as well. Seven
per cent of the dentists reported experiencing skin symptoms when working
with acrylic resins, and 15 per cent had experienced rapid itching related
to protective gloves.
Source:
Prevalence of self-reported hand eczema and skin symptoms associated
with dental materials among Swedish
dentists.
Ortengren U; Andreasson H; Karlsson S; Meding B; Barreg°ard L Department
of Prosthetic Dentistry/Dental Materials Science, G¨oteborg University,
Sweden. SR- Eur J Oral Sci, 107:496-505, 1999 Dec
©
The Internet Health Library 2000
return to top
This page was last updated on 04 December 2006 23:09:48
|