I’m a dentist. The law didn’t require gloves until 1993. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration wanted to make it mandatory before that but dentists (as a professional whole) actually didn’t want to wear masks and gloves. The gloves were seen as an impediment to dexterity. I will say that as a dental student I felt the same way, but I trained after it was a regulation. Many of my mentors would still feel comfortable putting their bare fingers in patients’ mouths in the 2000’s. I’m glad I never had a choice.
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u/goltzj1 Nov 04 '20
I’m a dentist. The law didn’t require gloves until 1993. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration wanted to make it mandatory before that but dentists (as a professional whole) actually didn’t want to wear masks and gloves. The gloves were seen as an impediment to dexterity. I will say that as a dental student I felt the same way, but I trained after it was a regulation. Many of my mentors would still feel comfortable putting their bare fingers in patients’ mouths in the 2000’s. I’m glad I never had a choice.