Health hazards associated with curing light in the dental clinic.

The assessment of side effects of substances encountered in odontology by patients and the dental team must include the direct and indirect effects of irradiation emitted from polymerisation devices. The eyes of the lamp operators are at risk from acute and cumulative effects, mainly due to back-reflection of the blue light. Furthermore, phototoxic and photoallergic reactions originating from absorbed radiation in endogenous or exogenous substances accumulated in the operators' eyes and skin (hands) as well as the patients' oral mucosa must also be taken into consideration. Preventive measures include reading the manufacturers' operating instructions for curing devices and using radiation-filtering protection goggles.