Evaluation of the integrity of procedural gloves

Abstract

Introduction: During dental procedures, the dental team utilizes sharp and rotating instruments, generating aerosols and bodily fluids such as saliva and blood. Additionally, they come into contact with microorganisms from the oral microbiota. In this context, gloves play a crucial role as a physical barrier between the hands of professionals and the patients' biological fluids, preventing the transmission of microorganisms. However, tears and microperforations can occur, exposing patients and team members to complications. Objective: To evaluate the quality of procedure gloves from three different commercial brands used in dental practice, given the relevance of glove integrity in the face of the high frequency of perforations. Materials and methods: Visual inspection and integrity tests were performed on three commercial brands of gloves, and their compliance with ANVISA Resolution No. 55 was verified. The data were organized using descriptive statistics (absolute and percentage frequencies). To compare the analyzed brands, the Binomial test for two proportions was performed at a 5.0% significance level (p=0.05). Results: All analyzed glove brands presented impurities adhered to the latex surface, which indicates flaws in the production process, allowing impurities to reach the final product. The Descarpack brand presented the lowest number of contaminants, while the Supermax brand presented the highest number. Two types of flaws were found in some glove brands during testing: perforations and tears. This means that not all the brands tested were completely airtight, as initially hypothesized. Conclusion: The glove boxes analyzed were in compliance with the requirements of Regulatory Norm No. 55 of the Sanitary Surveillance regarding the presence of mandatory instructions. Despite the identification of some gloves with detectable perforations or tears, the percentage of defective items was within the acceptable limit for hermeticity tests.