Work-related skin and airway symptoms among Swedish dentists rarely cause sick leave or change of professional career

Dentistry usually is 'wet work' with risk of damage to the skin barrier, an d the hands may be exposed to skin irritants and contact-sensitizing substa nces used in dental materials or gloves. Airway may also be present. This s tudy assessed the consequences of work-related skin and airway symptoms amo ng dentists in terms of contact with health authorities, sick leave, or cha nges in the professional career. A questionnaire on these factors was answe red by more than 3000 Swedish dentists. Only 6% of the respondents had cons ulted a physician, although 22% had noted work-related skin symptoms. In 2% the skin symptoms had caused sick leave, and about 2% had reported their s kin symptoms as an occupational disease, Two per cent had consulted a physi cian owing to work-related airway symptoms, which is a minor part of the 13 % who had experienced such symptoms when in contact with dental materials. Twenty-five dentists (<1%) had been on sick leave because of work-related a irway symptoms. Only 19 dentists reported change of activities or occupatio n owing to work-related skin or airway symptoms, and in most cases these sy mptoms only contributed to their decision. In summary, whereas sick leave i n dentists because of musculoskeletal problems may be common, the present s tudy shows that this is not the case for work-related skin or airway sympto ms, and such symptoms seldom affect the dentists' professional career.