A visão dos acadêmicos de odontologia sobre o gerenciamento dos resíduos do serviço de saúde The sight of the dental students about the waste management of health service La visión de los estudiantes de odontología acerca de la gestión de residuos de servicios de salud

The management and the incorrect disposal of waste from health service has been an environmental issue much discussed by the competent bodies and professionals of the area. This concern comes from the inappropriate handling of these components, which pose potential risks to human life, the environment and public health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dental students on disposal and packaging of the health service waste materials most widely used in the dental routine. This is a descriptive cross-sectional exploratory study, quantitative and qualitative incorporating dental graduates of the School of Public Dentistry of Sao Paulo northwest. For statistical analysis, we used the Bardin Content Analysis for qualitative issues and the software Epi Info 6.04 for description of absolute frequencies and percentages of the quantitative questions. Study participants were 95 students entering the full course and night in the dental clinic. When asked what are the medical waste, 49% missed or ignored the questioning. Regarding the knowledge about the ideal shape of the packaging of the anesthetic cartridge, 37% did not know the correct way of disposal. When inquiring about the developer and fixer disposal of radiographic films, 22% agreed to interrogative. It concludes with the study the lack of great labor of the students on the correct way of disposal and packaging the medical waste. Thus changes in the professional behavior and the social and environmental awareness on issues involving the environment and public health are needed for academic formation Descriptors: Waste Management; Dental Waste; Medical Waste; Public Health. Resumen