DENTISTS OCCUPATIONAL ALLERGIC CONTACT-DERMATITIS CAUSED BY COCONUT DIETHANOLAMIDE, N-ETHYL-4-TOLUENE SULFONAMIDE AND 4-TOLYLDIETHANOLAMINE

Dental personnel are exposed to many sensitizing compounds at work and often develop multiple delayed allergies. Here we report on a dentist who got sensitized to several products that have not, or only seldom, caused sensitization earlier. These products were: coconut diethanola mide from her handwashing liquids, N-ethyl-4-toluene sulfonamide, a re sin carrier in dental materials for isolating cavities underneath rest orations, and 4-tolyldiethanolamine, an accelerator for inducing polym erization of dental acrylic resins at room temperature. The patient al so had allergic patch test reactions to formaldehyde, phenol-formaldeh yde resin, fragrance mix, and lauryl monoethanolamide, possibly from o ccupational exposure.