Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Biomedical Waste Management among Dental Practioners in Karad City, Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Biomedical waste is generated routinely in high amounts in the dental office, the correct disposal of which bears importance to the dentist, staff and healthcare workers. This is the first of its kind study in the city of Karad which will provide an important insight into the proper method and knowledge of disposal of health care waste by the dental practitioners. The application of this study will be in accessing the legal necessity and social responsibility of the healthcare personnel’s in the effective management of biomedical waste. Materials and Method: The study population included 100 private practitioners in Karad City, Maharashtra. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding dental waste management. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the results. Results: Out of 100 study participants, 73 (73%) were males and 27 (27%) were females. The maximum number of participants belonged to the age group of 34-38 years (29%). Undergraduate qualification was more (80%) and 43% participants had an experience of 0-5 years. Chi-square analysis showed a highly significant association between participant who attended continuing dental education (CDE) program and their practice of dental waste management. Conclusion: Lack of knowledge and professional training in disposal of biomedical waste becomes a direct threat to the humans as well as the environment. CDE programs would help bring about a change in the management of healthcare waste.