Dental News - Asbestos may harm dentists too

Daniel Zimmermann, DTI

Fri. 26 February 2010

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NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: According to the US website Asbestos.net, dentist should be more aware of the hazards arising from asbestos. High concentrations of the microscopic fibres are often found in treatment rooms, from where they can penetrate the lung and cause mesothelioma, a rare and inoperable form of cancer that develops from the protective lining of the body’s internal organs. Annually, 20,000 people die of the condition around the world.

High exposure to asbestos is common in trades such as construction, in which there is the danger of inhaling the carcinogen’s dust and fibres from plaster and other asbestos-containing products. In dentistry, the minerals are often used for the lining of casting rings or dental tapes. Dentists are at risk because they usually work in small confined rooms and do not take precautions against inhaling the fibres.

Recent studies have found that daily occupational exposure over time, even at low asbestos levels, under poor ventilation conditions in a closed space could cause pleural lesions.

The website said that symptoms of the tumour’s presence are usually not evident for another 20 to 50 years. They advise dentists who think they may have been exposed to asbestos to monitor their health carefully in conjunction with a physician.

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