Assessment of Polymer based Material (PBM) Waste Production by clincal Dental Practices in Lahore, Pakistan; An Environmental Perspective

OBJECTIVE: A survey study was designed to assess and quantify solid waste produced by an average private practicing dental clinic during a typical working day in Lahore. METHODOLOGY: It was a convenient sample study. A self-designed, pre-tested questionnaire was distributed to 101 registered dentists working in 82 private dental practices in Lahore. The obtained Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULT: Polyethylene (PE), latex, polypropylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and styrene (PS) are five major types of polymers used in dental dentistry. Our results show that 15 PBM solid waste pieces were produced per patient, with an average dentist producing 143 pieces per day. Of these, 47 % were PE, 20% were Latex, 19 % were PP, 7% were PVC and another 7% were PS. More than 70% of this waste was disposed of as municipal waste. CONCLUSION: Even though individual private practicing dentists create only a small quantity of environmentally hazardous polymer wastes; the accumulated waste produced by the dental profession may have a notable impact on the environmental footprint.