Protection when under attack

Dental nurses are at a greater risk of developing work-related contact dermatitis compared to most other occupations. Dermatitis is an inflammatory condition of the skin caused by outside agents that can result in irritation, redness, cracking and blistering. Much less commonly seen skin problems, such as those due to contact urticaria, may be due to occupational exposure to natural latex rubber proteins in sensitised individuals.

The main causes of work-related contact dermatitis in these workers are rubber chemicals (e.g. carbamates, thirurams), which may be present in both natural rubber latex and synthetic rubber materials (e.g. nitrile), soaps/cleaners and ‘wet-work’ (e.g. having wet skin through frequent hand washing, surface cleaning). The skin of workers may also be exposed to other allergenic or irritating chemicals often used in dental practice (e.g. an X-ray developer).