Quantitative and qualitative analysis of dental clinics waste in Zabol city, Iran

Dental clinics are one of the sources of waste production that are important due to producing infectious and potentially infectious waste, chemical and pharmaceutical waste, and toxic waste. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze dental clinics in Zabol quantitatively and qualitatively. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 on waste produced in dental clinics in Zabol. Sampling of 25 dental clinics was performed three times per week. At the end of the working day, the samples were transferred to a suitable site and weighed carefully after separation of the components. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Excel software. 5457 kg of waste is annually produced in the dental clinics of Zabol that the amount of infectious and potentially infectious waste, household-like waste, chemical and pharmaceutical waste, and toxic wastes are approximately 48.08, 43.75, 7.82 and 0.35%, respectively. Given that proper management of waste produced is not performed in dental clinics in Zabol, special attention to waste produced in this sector through programs of reduction in source, separation and recycling can reduce the waste volume significantly. Keywords: Dentistry waste, Dental clinics, Waste composition, Infectious waste, Toxic wast