TITLE:
Study on the Treatment of Reusable Care Equipment in Public and Private Dental Practices in the City of Conakry
AUTHORS:
Magna Condé, Aly Badara Nabé, Moussa Doré, Julie Gaëlle Yepmo Sambou, Alhassane Alpha Camara, Amadou Traoré, Kouamé Patrice Attogbain
KEYWORDS:
Treatment, Materials, Care, Reusable, Dental Practices, Conakry
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
7,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The effective sterilization of reusable instruments in dental care is a crucial issue for public health. The aim of this study was to contribute to improving the processing conditions of reusable care instruments in dental practices in the city of Conakry. Methods: We carried out an observational and cross-sectional study of a descriptive type lasting three months from January to April 2022 in public and private dental practices approved for activities. Results: A total of 48 dental practices were surveyed, including 7 public and 41 private. 91.67% had the trays for instrument sterilization. 77.08% had a sterilization device. The instruments were: cleaned 100%, disinfected 70.83%, sterilized 20.83% and 20.83% reused the instruments without being sterilized. 72.97% sterilized the instruments at the end of the day. 50% of respondents declared that there were six stages of sterilization. According to standard standards, one dental office or 2.70% respected the normal sterilization process and 13.51% respected the duration and temperature. The storage quality was inadequate at 95.83%. 95.83% of dental practices are at high risk of contamination. The difficulties encountered by staff in daily activity during our study were lack of hygienists (87.50%), insufficient material resources (58.33%), and lack of protocol procedure (45.83%). Conclusion: This study allowed us to note shortcomings of dental surgeons in the process of processing reusable care materials.