It seems prudent to identify these latex allergic individuals, and to recommend a latex safe environment, especially during surgical or dental procedures. Diagnostic work-up for patients suspected to be allergic to latex includes careful history and physical examination, keeping the risk groups in mind. Type I hypersensitivity. Latex allergy should also be in the differential diagnosis in a patient experiencing anaphylaxis during operation or routine dental procedures. The first treatment goal is prevention.
Primary prevention is to prevent sensitization.
Using latex gloves with the lowest allergen content may be helpful to decrease the chance of sensitization. Enclosed are published data regarding the allergen content in different brands of latex gloves used during 1993. Once an individual becomes sensitized, he or she has to avoid latex completely. Health care workers are often concerned about the barrier effectiveness of nonlatex gloves. Since 1991, the FDA has imposed identical quality control standards on all medical gloves regardless of manufacture material.