Description of the study population
| Dental technicians | Control subjects | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P-Y, pack years. | ||||
| *t test for quantitative variables. | ||||
| †χ2 test for qualitative variables. | ||||
| ‡Calculated on dental technicians who have been exposed. | ||||
| Age (y) | (n=134) | (n=131) | 0.7* | |
| Mean (SD) | 36.6 (10.6) | 37.1 (10.3) | ||
| Sex | (n=134) | (n=131) | 0.9† | |
| Male, n (%) | 92 (68.7) | 89 (67.9) | ||
| Female, n (%) | 42 (31.3) | 42 (32.1) | ||
| Smoking | (n=132) | (n=124) | 0.8* | |
| Non-smokers, n (%) | 61 (46.2) | 42 (33.9) | ||
| Ex-smokers, n (%) | 26 (19.7) | 33 (26.6) | ||
| Smokers ≤10 P-Y, n (%) | 30 (22.7) | 31 (25) | ||
| Smokers >10 P-Y, n (%) | 15 (11.4) | 18 (14.5) | ||
| Mean P-Y (SD) | 11 (14.1) | 11.8 (10.9) | ||
| Exposure | n (%) | Mean duration (SD)‡ | n | |
| Asbestos | 63 (47) | 20.7 (9.4) | 0 | |
| Beryllium | 32 (23.9) | 23.5 (11.4) | 0 | |
| Silica | 104 (78.9) | 16.3 (10.8) | 0 | |
| Resin | 105 (78.3) | 14.6 (12.1) | 0 | |
| Plaster | 125 (93.3) | 15.9 (11) | 0 | |
| Wax | 112 (83.6) | 16 (11.3) | 0 | |
| Ceramic | 51 (38) | 7.8 (11.9) | 0 | |
| Nickel–chromium alloys | 110 (82.1) | 15.5 (11.6) | 0 | |
| Chromium–cobalt alloys | 72 (53.7) | 12.2 (12.5) | 0 | |