Qual é a prevalência de acidentes perfurocortantes entre acadêmicos de odontologia e quais fatores estão relacionados à sua ocorrência durante a prática clínica universitária? – revisão de literatura

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the scientific evidence regarding the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of sharps injuries among dental students during clinical practice at university. Methodology: Literature review conducted in the PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases, using descriptors in Portuguese and English combined through the Boolean operators AND and OR. Studies published in the last fifteen years, in Portuguese or English, addressing the occurrence of such injuries among undergraduate dental students were included. Results: Eighteen publications composed the final sample. Prevalence rates were heterogeneous, ranging from 4.4% to 43.1%, with higher occurrence in the intermediate and final periods of the undergraduate program and in the specialties of Oral Surgery, Endodontics, and Periodontics. Anesthetic needles were the most frequently involved instruments, and the hands were the most affected body region. Clinical inexperience, inadequate use of personal protective equipment, and underreporting stood out among the associated factors. Conclusion: Sharps injuries constitute a relevant problem in dental education, requiring the strengthening of biosafety training, qualified clinical supervision, and institutional consolidation of reporting and post-exposure follow-up flows.