Knowledge, attitude, and practices of biomedical waste management among clinical dental students

Abstract

Objectives: The health-care sector generates enormous amount of biomedical waste (BMW) and dental waste forms a subset of this hazardous waste. It is, therefore, imperative for the upcoming dental health professionals to be aware of the hazards related to improper waste management and the existing rules and regulations for the same. To gauge the gaps in knowledge and find ways to rectify the same, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of biomedical waste management among dental students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a dental teaching hospital, wherein a pre-validated and tested, structured closed-ended questionnaire was adopted and given to the clinical students of dentistry. The responses were self-recorded by the participants after which statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square test to compare the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice among the study groups. Results: Out of 168 participants, 97% agreed that waste needs to be segregated but 70% were unaware of the legislations regarding BMW management. About half of the participants across all groups gave incorrect responses regarding correct disposal of various types of wastes. Only 10.1% of students correctly disposed mercury. Among the study groups, postgraduate students fared better than house surgeons and students. More than 90% of students believed that they required additional training in BMW management. Conclusion: An overall positive attitude was seen among all students toward safe management of BMW. However, their knowledge and practice toward the same calls for attention on the part of educational institutions in providing continuous educational programs and monitoring the correct disposal of wastes. This was validated by the fact that increase in educational qualification showed better performance toward this subject.