# Exposure to Oxycide(tm) Disinfect in Dental Practices: Occupational Symptoms and Risk Factors
## 3 Results
### PPE and Symptom Appearance  
Out of the 200 respondents, 126 individuals (63%) reported experiencing at least one symptom following exposure to Oxycide(tm), while 74 participants (37%) reported no symptoms. The most frequently reported symptom was burning sensation in the eyes (17%), followed by irritative dry cough (14.5%) and irritation of the nasal mucosa (11.5%). Less commonly reported symptoms included rhinorrhea (7.5%), dermatitis-type skin lesions (6%), headache (4.5%), and transient facial edema (2%). These results suggest that mucosal and respiratory irritation were the most prevalent adverse effects, consistent with the known exposure risks of chemical disinfectants (Table 6).  
A chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine the association between the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) used and the type of reported symptoms following Oxycide(tm) exposure (burning sensation in the eyes, dermatitis-type skin lesions, headache, irritation of the nasal mucosa, irritative dry cough, rhinorrhea, transient facial edema, or none). The test revealed no statistically significant association between these variables (\(\chi^{2}\)(28, N = 200) = 25.20, \(p\) = 0.617). These findings suggest that within this sample, the distribution of specific symptoms does not significantly vary according to the PPE used (Table 7).  
To further explore the relationship between personal protective equipment (PPE) usage and symptom occurrence, a chi-square test of independence was conducted after simplifying the variables. PPE types were categorized into three groups: complete (facial mask, gloves and protective goggles), partial (mask or gloves), and none. The reported symptoms were also grouped into a binary variable, distinguishing between participants who experienced at least one symptom following Oxycide(tm) exposure (burning sensation in the eyes, dermatitis-type skin lesions, headache, irritation of the nasal mucosa, irritative dry cough, rhinorrhea, transient facial edema, or none) and those who reported no symptoms.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Reported Symptoms After Oxycide Exposure** & \\ \hline burning sensation in the eyes & 34 & 17.0\% \\ \hline irritative dry cough & 29 & 14.5\% \\ \hline irritation of the nasal mucosa & 23 & 11.5\% \\ \hline rhinorrhea & 15 & 7.5\% \\ \hline dermatitis-type skin lesions & 12 & 6.0\% \\ \hline headache & 9 & 4.5\% \\ \hline transient facial oedema & 4 & 2.0\% \\ \hline none & 74 & 37.0\% \\ \hline Total & 200 & 100.0\% \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 6: Reported symptoms after Oxycide exposure.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Room** & **No Symptoms** & \begin{tabular}{c} **Short** \\ **Duration (_n_)** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Long Duration** \\ **(_n_)** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Total (_n_)** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline No & 23 & 19 & 12 & 54 \\ \hline Yes & 51 & 81 & 14 & 146 \\ \hline Total & 74 & 100 & 26 & 200 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 5: Symptom duration by room ventilation.  
The analysis did not reveal a statistically significant association between PPE level and symptom presence (\(\chi^{2}(2,\text{N}=200)=3.90,p=0.143\)). While there was a tendency for participants using complete PPE to report fewer symptoms compared to those with partial or no protection, this trend did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that within this sample, simplified PPE classification was not a strong predictor of symptom occurrence following Oxycide(tm) exposure.