An assessment of the incidence of punctures in gloves when worn for routine operative procedures

The value of glove wearing as part of dental surgery cross-infection control regimen is negated if gloves are punctured during use. An assessment of the procedures most likely to give rise to glove puncture is therefore of importance. Accordingly, 892 gloves worn by two dentists in general practice were examined for punctures, after being used in one of seven common operative procedures. It was found that gloves used for the treatment procedures investigated had a significantly higher proportion of punctures than unused gloves of the same type. Gloves used for surgical extraction showed the highest proportion punctured (16%). There was no significant difference in puncture frequency between the gloves worn on left or right hands irrespective of procedure.