What are the sustainability issues within dentistry?

Dentistry uses a significant amount of energy and materials, particularly disposable plastics. It's understandable that dentistry has a large environmental footprint.

PPE:

Personal protective equipment must be worn by all dental professionals for good infection control, but this contributes to non-recyclable waste.

Examples include:

• Gloves
• Aprons
• Plastic cups
• Disinfectant wipes

Energy:

Dentistry requires large amounts of energy. You need to energy to power the dental drills, for the lighting, for autoclaving and more.

Materials:

Once a restorative procedure is complete (putting in a filling), the excess materials must be disposed of. This includes amalgam, composite capsules, micro brushes, packing equipment etc.

Make sure to also include ways to improve sustainability in dentistry. Here are some examples:

• Use of preventative dentistry- this promotes patients looking after their teeth rather than drilling and filling, which uses energy and materials
• Choosing 'greener' suppliers

The ultimate aim here is to keep the same, high standards of patient care whilst reducing the environmental impact.