Coronavirus: four out of five riskiest jobs are dental related

Dental professionals are among the most at risk jobs when it comes to health, according to a studyAs coronavirus continues to spread, a study found that four out of five of the most ‘at risk’ jobs are dental related.

Business Insider reports that dental professionals work in some of the riskiest environments when it comes to health.

Dental hygienists were ranked the number one job most at risk, closely followed by general dentists. Dental laboratory technicians came in fourth, with dental assistants coming in fifth.

However, third place went to veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers.

The website drew its conclusions by assessing data from O*NET Online occupational database. This is a detailed collection of information on occupations from the US Department of Labour.

Each of the 968 occupations assessed were measured on a scale of 0 to 100 against six health risks.

These were exposure to disease and infection, exposure to contaminants, exposure to hazardous conditions, exposure to radiation, risk of minor burns, stings, cuts and bites, and time spent sitting.

Taking the top spot, dental hygienists were given an overall ranking of 72.8.

This included a scoring of 100 when it came to exposure to disease and infection. Dentists ranked 95 on the same risk.

Other top 10 ‘at risk’ jobs included prosthodontists, nurse anaesthetists, flight attendants, anaesthesiologists and anaesthesiologist assistants.

Better leadership

Today, industry professionals and organisations responded to the latest government advice regarding Covid-19.

The British Dental Association (BDA) criticised the government for its failure to update its standard operating procedures in regards to dentistry.

It also called for better leadership within NHS England to help the industry respond effectively to the global pandemic.

Chairman of the BDA, Mick Armstrong, said: ‘In a situation which is changing rapidly, advice from NHS England has not been updated. Dentists and their teams are frightened and desperate for leadership.

‘This official silence is deafening. Dentists deserve clarity if they can continue providing a safe service for their patients.’

Additionally, the General Dental Council took the decision to cancel the public session of its upcoming council meeting.

Due to take place on Thursday 19 March, it stated the council will instead carry out its responsibilities by meeting virtually.

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