Introducing safety syringes into a UK dental school--a controlled study.

AIM: How an appropriate safety syringe was chosen, how the change-over to it was achieved and what outcome measures were used to measure the effectiveness of this change.
INTRODUCTION: One third of all reported sharps injuries in dental practice are due to the use of non disposable dental syringes with most injuries being sustained during removal and disposal of the disposable needle from the non-disposable syringe.
METHOD: After evaluation of all available disposable safety syringes they were introduced into a dental school after appropriate education of all staff and students. Risk management provided data on all reported needle-stick injuries in the dental school and a control unit using non disposable syringes for a period of two years.
RESULTS: Avoidable needle stick injuries reduced from an average of 11.8 to 0 injuries per 1,000,000 hours worked per year as compared with a control unit who reduced their frequency from 26 to 20 injuries per 1,000,000 hours worked. The cost of safety syringes is comparable to non-disposable syringes but the reduction in cost of management of needle stick injuries including the psychological effects are significant.
CONCLUSION: Education plays a vitally important role in the effective implementation of the change to safety syringes which is advocated for all dentists.