Pulmonary Tuberculosis Complication in Dental Workers' Pneumoconiosis

The interstitial lung disease caused by dusts and chemicals in dental technicians is classified as a specific group called dental technician pneumoconiosis. In the pathogenesis of dental technician pneumoconiosis, exposure to various dust and chemicals such as metal dusts, silica, plaster, waxes, resins, volatile liquids, methyl methacrylate, and their effects on the lung parenchyma play a significant role. Dental technicians may develop lung problems such as asthma, silicosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. These individuals are at risk for tuberculosis and lung cancer in the long term. The most important factor in the development of occupational lung disease is multiple exposures in the workplace. When insufficient ventilation conditions in workplaces are combined with deficiencies in protective measures, the risk increases even further. A case followed with a diagnosis of dental technician pneumoconiosis during the pandemic period, in which tuberculosis was also diagnosed upon further investigation due to radiological suspicion, has been presented.