The study analyzed infection control conditions in dentistry offices in Cariacica, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Data pertaining to interviewees, location and type of office, setting, equipment, and materials were obtained by direct observation in all the registered services and in twenty unlicensed establishments operated by "non-graduate dentists". For grouped analysis of infection control measurements in each establishment, a composite indicator based on 19 variables was developed, such that the lower its value, the better the infection control. The results referred to 113 offices. Infection control in offices of "non-graduate dentists" (médiaICI = 23.05, dp = 11.86) was four times worse than for private offices. Public dental care services (médiaICI = 16.27; dp = 6.96) occupied an intermediate position. Conditions were also four times worse in dentistry offices located in peripheral urban areas. There was a clear-cut division in sanitary conditions within dental care as a whole. A large proportion of the population depending on dental care from unlicensed dentists is exposed to increased risk of cross-infection.
Dental Care; Dental Offices; Dental Infection Control
