Effects of a quality control circle-based multifaceted intervention on sharps injuries among dental interns

Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens presents a significant risk of disease transmission, potentially leading to severe health consequences, including life-threatening infections. In dental practice, the frequent use of sharp instruments and exposure to blood and saliva significantly increases occupational hazards. Among these, sharps injuries are the most prevalent, particularly among dental interns. Although quality control circle activities, as a process management tool, have been successfully applied in various fields, their effectiveness in reducing sharps injuries among dental interns remains underexplored. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of quality control circle activities in reducing sharps injuries. We evaluated the incidence of sharps injuries among dental interns in the class of 2022 during their rotation in Department II using the ten-step methodology of Quality Control Circles. The Quality Control Circles were conducted following the plan-do-check-act cycle and incorporated various quality control methods, including flowchart analysis, Pareto analysis, and fishbone diagram analysis. The effectiveness of the Quality Control Circles intervention was evaluated by comparing the incidence rates of sharps injuries among dental interns before and after implementation. Sharps injuries incidence rates pre- and post-intervention were compared with Fisher's exact tests. Initial analysis of sharps injuries occurrence among dental interns demonstrated that the majority of cases occurred during two distinct phases: pre-procedure (57.14%) and during procedure (28.57%). Based on these findings, we implemented three targeted interventions: (1) optimization of standardized operating procedures, (2) enhancement of safety training programs, and (3) establishment of an assessment and monitoring mechanism. Following the QCC activity, the sharps injuries rate among the Class of 2020 interns was significantly lower than that among the Class of 2019 interns during the same period, with a statistically significant difference ( P = 0.043). Post-intervention analysis the Class of 2020 interns revealed a significant reduction in the incidence of sharps injuries from 11.29% (7/62) to 3.23% (2/62) ( P = 0.163), achieving a 107.18% target achievement rate and an overall improvement rate of 71.39%. The implementation of a bundle intervention (including training, SOP optimization, supervision, and monitoring) delivered within the QCC framework was associated with a reduction in the incidence of sharp injuries, suggesting that such a multifaceted approach may be effective in reducing sharp injuries. These findings provide an important reference for preventing sharps injuries among dental interns, and implementing medical quality improvement initiatives.