Background:
Contact dermatitis and also allergic skin diseases are increasing and is
becoming problem among Mongolian dental technicians. Serum total IgE and patch testing
for contact allergy are needed to confirm the diagnosis.
Methods:
The aim of this study was to determine and discuss the results of patch tests
(potassium dichromate, cobalt chloride hexahydrate and nickel sulfate) and allergic reaction
(serum total IgE titer) in dental technicians.
Results:
In this cross-sectional study, fifty dental technicians were enrolled, aged between
25-52 years and fifty healthy students of dentistry school participated, who were aged 18-32
years. The mean average age of dental technicians was 34.4±0.91. Serum total IgE levels in
dental technicians were significantly higher (p=0.03) than dental students group. Serum total
IgE have direct, strong correlation with patch testing results (r=-0.759, p>0.001) in group of
dental technicians. The most prevalent positive reaction was to nickel sulfate (7; 43.75%).
Conclusion
Due to the complex etiology of skin allergic diseases in dental technicians with
suspected allergy, detailed diagnostics should be carried out in order to enable identification
of allergenic substances and their elimination from the dental technician’s occupational
condition.