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An assessment of the incidence of punctures in latex and non-latex dental examination gloves in routine clinical practice by C. A. Murray, F. J. T. Burke and S. McHugh Br Dent J 2001; 190: 377–380

Comment

Routine glove wearing is now considered normal practice within the dental surgery. Appropriate choice of operating gloves is particularly important in dentistry, since dental surgeons wear gloves for longer periods of time than other health care workers. The increasing problem of hypersensitivity to latex proteins has resulted in the need for gloves manufactured from alternative, non-latex materials. Vinyl gloves are not ideal for use in dental practice, either from the viewpoint of puncture resistance or closeness of fit. Another non-latex material that shows promise is nitrile, a synthetic co-polymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene combined with carboxylic acid. However, it is essential that operating gloves made from such novel materials are rigorously evaluated, both in respect of user acceptability and the degree of protection provided.

The study by Colin Murray and his colleagues is, therefore, timely and has examined the incidence of punctures during routine dental practice in a brand of nitrile glove compared with a good quality latex glove. Of 1,020 used nitrile gloves and 1,000 used latex gloves, 5.3% and 1.9% respectively were punctured. However, these figures were not significantly different from the prevalence of punctures in unused gloves of the same type. This suggests that there may be relatively little difference between the glove types in resistance to punctures during dental treatment, but that quality control procedures in the manufacture of nitrile gloves may require attention. No significant differences were noted in the development of punctures in relation to operator or to the clinical procedures being undertaken.

Clinical trials of new glove types, which will generate data of the type reported in this paper, are to be encouraged to allow clinicians to make an informed decision on the protective gloves they choose to use. The present study suggests that nitrile gloves currently represent a viable alternative to latex gloves for those with latex allergy, but further product development and evaluation is clearly needed in this area.