Pre-existing Pinhole Defection in Latex and Nitrile Gloves
Examination gloves manufactured from natural latex. They have been the superior glove choice to date in dental practice. However, concerns over hypersensitivity have resulted in the use of alternative gloves such as nitrile gloves. The aim of the current studies were to assess the incidence of pre-existing pinhole defects in nitrile examination gloves.
The incidence of pre-existing pinholes for latex gloves was 0% for the non-sterile surgical latex glove type and 3% for the powdered latex examination glove type, with pinholes located on the thumb, middle finger and ring finger. Of the nitrile gloves evaluated, three types were assessed to have no pre-existing pinhole defects. One type had a 2% incidence of pre-existing pinhole defects — one pinhole located on the thumb region of the glove and one on the ring finger portion of the glove. The fifth nitrile glove type had one pre-existing pinhole defect located on the middle finger.
All glove types examined met the European Standard. There was no statistically prominent difference between glove types. Anyway, the nitrile gloves generally showed less pre-existing pinhole defects than the latex examination gloves.