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Pneumoconiosis and respiratory problems in dental laboratory technicians: Analysis of 893 dental technicians

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

Abstract

Objectives

To explore the rate of pneumoconiosis in dental technicians (DTP) and to evaluate the risk factors.

Material and Methods

Data of 893 dental technicians, who were admitted to our hospital in the period January 2007–May 2012, from 170 dental laboratories were retrospectively examined. Demographic data, respiratory symptoms, smoking status, work duration, working fields, exposure to sandblasting, physical examination findings, chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests and high-resolution computed tomography results were evaluated.

Results

Dental technicians’ pneumoconiosis rate was 10.1% among 893 cases. The disease was more common among males and in those exposed to sandblasting who had 77-fold higher risk of DTP. The highest profusion subcategory was 3/+ (according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2011 standards) and the large opacity rate was 13.3%.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, it was the largest DTP case series (N = 893/90) in the literature in English. Health screenings should be performed regularly for the early diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, which is an important occupational disease for dental technicians.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chest Diseases, Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Dilek Ergün & Türkan Nadir Öziş

  2. Chest Diseases Clinic, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Recai Ergün

  3. Chest Diseases Clinic, Istanbul Yedikule Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Cengiz Özdemir

  4. Department of Toxicology, Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Hinç Yilmaz

  5. Chest Diseases Clinic, Akay Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    İbrahim Akkurt

Authors
  1. Dilek Ergün
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  2. Recai Ergün
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Correspondence to Dilek Ergün.

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Ergün, D., Ergün, R., Özdemir, C. et al. Pneumoconiosis and respiratory problems in dental laboratory technicians: Analysis of 893 dental technicians. IJOMEH 27, 785–796 (2014). https://doi.org/10.2478/s13382-014-0301-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13382-014-0301-9

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