Medical waste monitoring in a dental outpatient clinic

Aim. To estimate the amounts and weight of medical waste in the dental outpatient clinic. Methods. Amounts and weight of types A and B medical waste, as well as the number of patients treated in the branch №1 of OAO «City Dentistry», Kazan, Russia from June 2012 to May 2013 were analyzed using the methods of public health statistics. Results. Total amount of type A medical waste was 7516 pieces, with the average amount of 300.6±9.21 per month. Total weight was 8995.3 kg, with the average of 359.8±11.03 kg per month. Total amount of type B medical waste was 6804 per year, with the average of 272.2±5.19 per month, and their total weight was 12090.6 kg, with the average of 483.6±13.39 kg per month. Despite the trend of increasing the absolute amounts and weight of type A and B waste, if calculated per patient treated, these values had a trend for reduction. Medical waste amounts differed between the departments of the outpatient clinics, even between departments providing same medical care. In general, types A and B waste weight was increasing, while amount of waste decreased. Conclusion. Types A and B waste weight depended mainly on the number of treated patients compared to waste amount. Waste weight and amount, if calculated per patient treated, had different trends and were different not only between the departments of surgery, orthopedics and conservative dentistry, but also between different departments of conservative dentistry.

medical waste, dental outpatient clinic, Kazan