Percepção clínica, ética e legal de acadêmicos de Odontologia sobre gerenciamento de resíduos de serviços de saúde

The aim of this study was to analyze the dental students’ clinical, ethical and legal perception on the management of health services waste (HSW). This was a cross-sectional observational study, with census sampling of students from the 8th (n=23) and 9th (n=18) terms. The applied questionnaire addressed the process of production, handling and disposal of HSW, regarding management, legislation and ethical issues. Data were organized in spreadsheets and interpreted by descriptive analysis. Regarding the current rules for the management of WHS, 82.9% and 95.1% of the students stated that they did not know the final treatment/disposition and technical regulation for HSW management, respectively. Regarding the Health Services Waste Management Plan (HSWMP), 85.4% did not know the Criminal Code and 87.8% were not familiar with the Civil Code. In addition, most respondents were unaware of the principles of the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (75.6%) and the Resolutions of the National Environmental Council (82.9%) and the National Health Surveillance Agency (95.1%). On the other hand, 73.2% claimed to know the rights and duties of the dental surgeon, present in the Code of Dental Ethics. Regarding the classification of residues produced in a dental environment, 95.1% answered correctly about sodium hypochlorite and 97.6% about cotton and blood gauze rollers. Therefore, it was possible to conclude that there is satisfactory knowledge about the clinical and ethical aspects, however insufficient regarding the current legislation in Brazil.