Personal protective equipment for acrylic workers at dental laboratories in Surabaya, Indonesia

Acrylic is still widely used in dental laboratory for producing dentures or removable orthodontic appliances. This substance may cause irritation to the eyes, skin, throat and respiratory system. The aim of this study was to observe the availability and use of personal protection equipment (PPE) for acrylic workers at dental laboratories in Surabaya, Indonesia. This descriptive observational study was conducted at dental laboratories in Surabaya. Questionnaires were used as the means of data collection. Result showed that 100% of dental laboratories in Surabaya were shown to provide disposable paper masks and goggles. 70.49% of acrylic workers always wear respiratory masks, 49.18% invariably don eye protection. 84.61% of dental laboratories provide lab coats and gloves, but only 57.37% of workers wear lab coats, while 27.86% always wear gloves. 30.76% of Surabaya-based dental laboratories supplied ear plugs and 15.38% provided ear muffs to employees. Nevertheless, only 1.63% of workers always wear ear protection. It is concluded that not all laboratories provide PPE, while not all acrylic workers wear the PPE supplied by dental laboratories in Surabaya, Indonesia.