Dental Technicians at Risk of Deadly Lung Disease

What do people working in dental laboratories have in common with miners? Both may be inhaling fine particles of silica dust, putting them at risk of a deadly lung disease called silicosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What do people working in dental laboratories have in common with miners? Both may be inhaling fine particles of silica dust, putting them at risk of a deadly lung disease called silicosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Historically, the risk of silicosis was believed to be highest in people working in mining, quarrying and masonry, among other professions. However, in a new report, the CDC notes that between 1994 and 2000, five states reported 9 cases of silicosis in dental laboratory technicians, indicating that some of the materials they work with are releasing fine particles of silica dust. This report may come as a surprise to some dental laboratory technicians, who fabricate crowns, bridges, retainers and other prosthetic devices, study author Donald Schill of the New Jersey State Department of Health & Senior Services told Reuters Health. “Dental laboratory technicians aren’t even aware that they are at risk,” he said. When workers inhale fine particles of silica dust, the lung tissue reacts to the particles by surrounding them with hard nodules and scar tissue, which can cause breathing problems. Patients also often develop severe bacterial or fungal infections that complicate treatment and may be fatal. In the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Schill and his colleagues describe the cases of three dental laboratory technicians who developed confirmed cases of silicosis. In one instance, a 65-year old man died after being diagnosed with silicosis at age 48, and after working in dental laboratories for 46 years. To keep dental technicians safe at work, Schill recommended that they do their work near ventilation systems, which will suck the silica dust away from their lungs “like a vacuum.” Working under water, substituting non-silica-containing materials for silica-containing ones, and wearing fine-particle respirators may also help, Schill added. “We want to see people protected,” he said. (SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 2004)