Noise levels in dental school clinics

Prolonged exposure to noise is a little-investigated occupational hazard in dentistry. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that noise levels in four student clinics at the School of Dentistry are higher than the current occupational noise level guidelines in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, which suggest that levels should not exceed 85 dB (A) over a duration of 8 hours. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure the noise levels in the student clinics, and (2) determine whether they exceed current guidelines for occupational noise levels.

A noise level meter was used to measure the decibel recordings in dB (A), before and during clinical sessions. The types of procedures being carried out by the students were recorded.

127 background recordings and 126 activity recordings were made, with measured noise levels ranging from 50.2 to 77.6 dB (A) for background levels, and 51.4 to 98.0 dB (A) during activity, with means of 60.8 and 70.5 dB (A) respectively. Measurements made in one clinic (the 4SW clinic) were significantly higher than those made in the other clinics (P < 0.001), and one (clinic 2N) gave the lowest readings.

Noise levels recorded from the clinics at the Otago School of Dentistry exceed those specified in the current New Zealand Occupational Health and Safety guidelines, but they are intermittent rather than continuous.