Evaluation of An Occupational Health and Safety Program for Clinical Dental Staff in Sri Lanka - SHAPE International Symposium 2025

Abstract

Objective: Clinical Dental Staff (CDS) are vulnerable to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks, particularly in resource-constrained Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). There is limited contextually relevant research available to guide the stakeholders in LMICs to manage OHS risks. To strengthen the evidence base, a co-designed, multi-component OHS program for CDS was piloted at the Institute of Oral Health (IOH) in Sri Lanka.

Design: Mixed-method, pre-post study was conducted in three phases between June 2020 and July 2021. Phase I comprised a baseline assessment to identify OHS gaps, using a questionnaire, focus groups, interviews and observational checklists, involving Dental Surgeons (n=46), Nursing Officers (n=16) and Health Care Assistants (n=78). Phase II involved the development and implementation of targeted interventions, which were developed with the consensus of project participants. Phase III evaluated post-implementation impact after three months.

Setting: Institute of Oral Health (IOH), Sri Lanka

Main outcome measures: Knowledge, attitudes, practices and satisfaction of CDS and occurrence of OHS events and complaints.

Results: Initial assessment revealed several challenges, including a lack of OHS-related staff awareness and training, inadequate reporting mechanisms and insufficient institutional guidelines. The interventions implemented included: OHS guideline creation, OHS training programs, knowledge sharing workshops, the establishment of an OHS management focal point, introduction of reporting mechanisms, welfare facility improvements, staff Hepatitis B vaccination and psychosocial support programs. The Phase III findings demonstrated significant improvements in staff knowledge, attitudes, practices and satisfaction with selected OHS measures. However, CDS satisfaction with welfare facilities and psychosocial support did not significantly improve.

Conclusions: This study revealed that focused and co-designed OHS interventions effectively enhance the knowledge, attitudes, practices and satisfaction of CDS. CDS reported post-implementation reduction in OHS incidents and complaints. The study highlighted the importance of stakeholder engagement and the use of co-designed multiple interventions in improving OHS in resource-constrained settings.