Glove use by orthodontists in England and Wales: changes since 1989 and comparisons with general dental practitioners

Glove wearing during patient treatment has been considered to be an integral part of dental surgery cross-infection control routines. The degree of compliance with this recommendation was tested by distribution of a questionnaire to 1950 dentists known to be practising under the National Health Service (NHS) regulations in England and Wales. Of the dentists who replied, 40 were specialist orthodontists. Results indicated that 60 per cent of these orthodontic respondents used gloves routinely for all patients and procedures, while 25 per cent wore gloves for either selected patients or selected procedures. Fifteen per cent never wore gloves. Comparison with results from a similar survey carried out in 1989 indicated increasing compliance by the orthodontic respondents to glove-wearing recommendations. However, the levels of glove use by orthodontists was found to be lower than that of their general dental practitioner colleagues.