Wearing complete personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial to ensure your safety, especially in dental and medical care. Dentists and medical practitioners need to get close to provide a detailed and accurate diagnosis. Hence, wearing gloves and changing them after every patient is necessary.
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However, not all Disposable Gloves are the same. Some materials, such as latex gloves, might not be ideal for examination or cause allergic reactions. To ensure your and your patient’s safety, wear vinyl gloves for every client and wash your hands thoroughly.
Here are reasons why vinyl gloves are safe for medical use.
What are Vinyl Gloves?
Like neoprene gloves and nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves are made from a synthetic polymer combined with plasticizers and PVC (a type of additive called polyvinyl chloride). As a result, vinyl gloves are sometimes less strong than latex gloves but safer if you or your patient have latex allergies.
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This type of glove is less likely or uncommon to cause skin allergies. People who experience skin irritation while wearing vinyl gloves might be due to a lack of ventilation and sweat. This is called contact urticaria which is only temporary and mild. Vinyl gloves are waterproof. Hence, they lack ventilation and can’t be worn for a long time.
You can easily avoid this by wearing fabric liners to absorb sweat.
Vinyl gloves are less stretchable and offer limited protection. When vinyl gloves are stretched, the molecules are also stretched, and the protection it provides is compromised.
These types of gloves are ideal for non-hazardous tasks and environments for a short time. As a result, vinyl gloves are typically used in the food and beverage manufacturing and production industries. They are the best choice for household and commercial use, which requires frequent use and changing.
In addition, vinyl disposable gloves offer protection against dyes, detergents, and low-risk liquids and bodily fluids. If doctors or medical practitioners conduct low-risk examinations, they can use vinyl gloves if they don’t have latex gloves or nitrile gloves.
However, the main advantage of vinyl gloves is their affordability and anti-static properties.
What Types of Gloves are Used by Doctors?
Doctors typically use disposable gloves such as nitrile gloves and latex gloves.
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Numerous doctors have used latex gloves longer than other types of gloves. This is because natural rubber latex is a naturally occurring and accessible material. They are flexible, durable, and comfortable to wear. That is, if you and your patient don’t have latex allergies or sensitive skin.
Here are the reasons why dental and medical professionals commonly use latex gloves:
Superior dexterity and comfort:
Medical-grade latex gloves don’t hinder the doctor’s touch and tactile sensitivities and are perfect for medical and surgical procedures.
Chemical resistance:
Latex is normally resistant to bases, acids, and chemicals, such as iodine, chlorine, and formaldehyde.
Puncture resistance:
Heavy-duty latex gloves last longer and provide puncture resistance, depending on their thickness.
FDA approved:
The US FDA regulates all personal protective equipment, including latex gloves.
While nitrile gloves provide better puncture resistance and comfort. They are easier to remove, and you won’t need to purchase powdered versions. Nitrile is a synthetic rubber that is more durable and long-lasting than latex.
Here are some benefits of using nitrile gloves for dental and medical purposes:
Excellent pathogen protection:
Nitrile surgical gloves are thicker and provide better protection against pathogens from bodily fluids, blood, or liquid.
Better puncture resistance:
Nitrile gloves can be up to 4 times more puncture resistance than latex.
Comfortable to wear:
These types of disposable surgical gloves are more comfortable and can be worn for hours.
High tactile sensitivity:
These medical gloves will not hinder the feeling and dexterity of the wearer.
More About Nitrile Gloves: Neoprene vs Nitrile Gloves: What’s The Difference
What Makes Vinyl Gloves Safe for Medical Use?
Vinyl gloves are not so durable, thick, and comfortable to use. However, some dental and medical professionals still prefer using them in specific tasks and environments. Here are reasons why dental and medical practitioners still use vinyl gloves.
Affordable
To make vinyl gloves, PVC is needed, one of the world's most-produced plastic materials. Hence, vinyl gloves are the most cost-effective and affordable choice for most people.
If you want to save more, ordering Vinyl Gloves in bulk is advisable.
Better Option For Those With Latex Allergies
Vinyl gloves is latex-free. Although not many people have latex allergies, as a dental and medical practitioner, it is still best to take extra precautions. Using latex-free types of gloves is a better option.
Once you or your patient experience rashes, skin irritations, and inflammation while using latex gloves, it is best to remove the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly.
Short-Term Protection Against Chemicals & More
Due to not being too thick or durable, vinyl gloves can provide pathogen protection from liquids, blood, or bodily fluids for a short time. Hence, vinyl gloves are ideal for short procedures or examinations. There is little to less physical contact with pathogens from liquids in examination applications.
If you are wearing vinyl gloves and exposed to blood or bodily fluids with pathogens, remove your disposable gloves, wash your hands properly, apply alcohol or sanitizer, and replace your gloves.
Vinyl Gloves: Final Thoughts
Vinyl gloves are not the best option for dental and medical industries. These types of gloves are easy to tear and have a looser fit. However, because these disposable gloves are cost-effective, many people still use them for short procedures, examinations, and low-risk tasks with less exposure to pathogens. In addition, vinyl gloves are not made for handling dangerous materials and substances.
When it comes to vinyl gloves, there are numerous options available to you, and sometimes it is difficult to decide which particular glove is appropriate for you job. Vinyl gloves can be used in virtually any application or situation. The following article will outline some basic facts and guidelines about vinyl gloves that will make your selection process much easier.
There are two Main Categories of Vinyl Gloves
Vinyl gloves come in two main categories: industrial and exam grade. Industrial grade vinyl gloves are typically use in “light-duty” industrial applications and situations where miild household cleaners, raw meat, or hair dye is handled. These applications require protection against non-hazardous chemicals or materials.
Industrial Glove Applications for Vinyl Gloves: plumbing, painting, food service, food processing, beauty salon, and janitorial or sanitation, agriculture, child care, first aid, arts and crafts.
Exam or medical grade vinyl gloves are best for situations that require a higher level AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) They must have less chance of developing pinholes than their industrial counterpart. They generally are more durable and provide protection against pathogens found in blood or bodily fluids. Gloves that are in this category must pass a rigorous set of testing and safety requirements from the FDA. Vinyl exam gloves typically have a looser fit and feel as compared to latex or nitrile gloves.
Exam or Medical Grade Application: child care, Dental, agriculture, janitorial, medical, senior care.
Size and Color
Vinyl gloves do fit looser than other disposable gloves such as nitrile and latex, so keep this in mind when determining your glove size. You still want your glove to fit close to your hand, without too much extra material bunching up.
Vinyl gloves come in a variety of colors, which can act as more than just a fashion statement. Using a variety of colors in your application can help differentiate glove size, or help to minimize cross contamination.
Clear Vinyl:
These gloves are ideal for use in safety and hygiene applications, because you can easily see when gloves are dirty and need to be changed.
Ivory or Cream Colored Vinyl Gloves: These are also referred to as stretch vinyl and generally are more durable and stretch than standard clear vinyl. This color of vinyl offers wearers the appearance and feel of disposable latex gloves without the risk of allergies. They are formulated to be more elastic and stretchy like latex.
Blue Vinyl:
The company is the world’s best Cheap Vinyl Gloves Wholesale in bulk supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
This vinyl is brightly colored and makes it easy to see if a glove gets punctured or ripped off. Care.
Disposable gloves offer both convenience and protection to workers in many industries. From comfortable, inexpensive and easy-to-change gloves for food preparation to highly specialized gloves to protect those working in chemical manufacturing, disposable gloves have many applications. They have also benefitted from recent technological advances, making them stronger, more practical and more cost-effective, especially when purchased in bulk.
The applications of disposable gloves are as varied as the people who use them. Some of the situations that require or benefit from using disposable gloves include:
When the wearer will come into contact with chemicals or skin irritants.
When the wearer will come into contact with bodily fluids like blood, vomit, urine, feces or mucus.
To protect others from bacteria or microbes on the wearer’s hands.
When handling substances that can stain hands.
When handling items that can be damaged by oils on the skin.
When handling unknown or undefined items.
For protection against burns, cuts, abrasions and similar injuries.
For general hygiene, comfort or personal preference.
You should wear nitrile gloves or gloves made from a similar synthetic material, such as vinyl, when there’s a risk that a fellow employee, customer or client could be allergic to natural rubber. For some, even touching an object that someone wearing latex gloves touched can trigger an allergic reaction.
For many industries, disposable gloves made from the most common materials are appropriate and provide adequate protection:
Nitrile is a synthetic, processed form of natural rubber. After it goes through a rigorous process, the rubber proteins are transformed, making nitrile safe for those with latex allergies. Uses of nitrile gloves are virtually endless because they are waterproof and resistant to punctures while providing other benefits. They also protect against contaminants including fungus, pesticides, commercial cleaning products and biologicals. Additionally, they provide a barrier for employees handling fragile items like electronics, glass, paper and other objects that could break and cause injury.
Nitrile gloves are available in medical and non-medical grades, and they come in a range of sizes, colors, thicknesses and textures. Applications of nitrile gloves exist in businesses from tattoo parlors to laboratories to childcare centers. They are one of the most versatile disposable gloves.
Vinyl is a synthetic, protein-free, non-biodegradable material made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plasticizers. By incorporating the plasticizer with the PVC, vinyl gloves become thin, flexible, comfortable and soft to the touch. Another advantage of vinyl gloves is their affordability, making them a popular choice in fields with high glove turnover. Vinyl gloves are also often loose-fitting and easy to change.
TPE stands for thermoplastic elastomer, a product from a group of rubber-like materials that combine the best qualities of rubber and plastic. TPE gloves are a more sustainable option since they can be recycled. TPE gloves are also waterproof, nontoxic, lightweight, strong and comfortable. They’re an excellent choice for eco-conscious food service workers, those in the beauty industry, childcare workers and single-use medical examinations.
Latex gloves were once the gold standard in disposable gloves for many industries. Latex, made from natural rubber, possesses many qualities that explain this preference. Some users swear by its tactile sensation, flexibility and dexterity. One limitation of latex is that many people experience allergic reactions to it or develop reactions over time. Latex gloves have been banned in some states because of these allergic reactions.
Which industries and jobs should use disposable gloves? They should be used in any situation where a barrier for the hands is necessary. For some sectors, gloves are a legal requirement, and for others, they enhance the comfort and hygiene of workers and clients alike. Different sectors have very different needs for personal protective equipment (PPE), and gloves are no exception. Some of the industries where you need to wear nitrile gloves or other disposable gloves include:
One of the most important things to remember about gloves used in most healthcare settings is that they are considered medical devices and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Medical gloves can include surgical gloves, examination gloves or gloves for handling chemotherapy agents.
The FDA advises medical and healthcare workers to wear disposable gloves any time they might come into contact with a patient’s bodily fluids, such as blood, vomit or urine, or any other possible contaminants. Because many patients and healthcare workers suffer from allergies to natural latex, other synthetic materials like nitrile or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) might be better choices. Be sure you’re purchasing 510K-certified disposable gloves to protect your workers and comply with regulations.
Disposable gloves for handling chemotherapy drugs must meet additional requirements to protect the wearer.
In food service, protecting workers from bacteria in raw meats and other ingredients is just as important as protecting patrons from germs and microbes that might be on workers’ hands. Those in the food industry must also avoid cross-contamination and must change gloves after handling raw meat, fish and other items before touching a different item. Comfortable, loose-fitting and affordable gloves like PVC, vinyl and TPE make these changes quick and easy. Food service workers should change their gloves if:
They’ve worn them for over an hour.
Gloves are punctured or torn.
Gloves are soiled.
Workers have handled hot peppers or spices they don’t want to spread to other items.
Workers are switching from one food prep task to another.
They’ve handled ingredients with a high risk of contaminants like raw meat, seafood or raw eggs.
They are moving from prep work to handling prepared foods.
Because of the frequent changes needed in a commercial kitchen or food service area, some of the best gloves for the food industry are TPE, vinyl and nitrile. Depending on the thickness of the gloves, some even offer protection against common food-service injuries like cuts, abrasions and burns.
Gloves are necessary for dentists and dental hygienists, who regularly contact saliva, blood and other bodily fluids. Plus, they need to protect their patients from any germs or contaminants on their own hands. Dental gloves fall under the authority of the FDA, meaning they require a 510K premarket certificate. This certificate shows the gloves have been reviewed for biocompatibility, leak resistance, tear-resistance and other criteria. Gloves for dentists should also offer the dexterity needed to perform precision work.
Because of potential contact with contaminants, chemicals and dyes, many in the beauty industry choose to wear gloves for their own hygiene and safety and that of their customers. For stylists, barbers, makeup artists, nail technicians and those in similar positions, disposable Industrial Gloves provide protection in a non-medical capacity. Beauty professionals have a wide range of choices of color, size, material and price. The industry frequently uses nitrile gloves to avoid the risk of allergic reactions in clients.
Gloves are extremely important when workers can be exposed to potentially caustic substances in jobs like manufacturing and petrochemical or oil refining. Some glove materials are resistant to certain chemicals but weak to others. When talking about glove materials and chemical resistance, some crucial terms to know are:
Permeation: This term refers to chemicals that can seep through the glove’s material, breaching the film without rips or holes.
Degradation: This term means the material of the glove begins to break down due to contact with the chemical.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides a chart detailing which materials are resistant to which chemicals. The gloves you choose for a particular manufacturing facility depend on which chemicals the gloves must be resistant to. Some examples of the correct glove to use with various chemicals include:
Aniline: Neoprene gloves provide good protection against aniline. Latex and butyl both provide fair protection. Meanwhile, nitrile latex performs poorly. In this case, neoprene or latex gloves are the best choices.
Castor oil: Neoprene and butyl gloves perform fairly, while natural rubber or latex performs poorly. Nitrile gloves are rated very good for handling castor oil.
Diesel fuel: Neoprene gloves provide good protection for diesel fuel, while latex and butyl gloves offer poor protection. Meanwhile, nitrile is rated very good and is the ideal choice when handling diesel fuel.
Choosing which disposable gloves to wear when working with chemicals depends entirely on the chemical involved. Consult OSHA, or contact us at SUNLINE Supply to discuss your needs.
Anyone who works in childcare knows it can be a messy business. Employees at daycares and similar facilities will face several situations where gloves are helpful or required during a typical workday. Gloves protect workers while changing diapers, cleaning up vomit or applying first aid to minor injuries. Gloves also protect children from germs on workers’ hands, and they’re useful and necessary when preparing children’s meals or feeding them.
Gloves also come in handy when doing routine cleaning at the facility, and they’re good to have on hand for unpredictable messy situations. Because childcare presents so many circumstances requiring hand protection, it’s beneficial to have various disposable gloves at hand.
Janitors, custodians and those involved in commercial cleaning have a twofold reason for using disposable gloves and changing them frequently. First, they must consider the unsanitary items they encounter, like garbage, dirty restrooms and food waste.
Second, they must protect their hands from the chemicals they use in their duties. While diluted cleaning products are not usually toxic, frequent or prolonged exposure can cause skin irritation and dry, cracked hands. For light, non-chemical cleaning like dusting, inexpensive vinyl or TPE gloves will suffice. To protect hands against chemical cleaners or things you’d rather not touch, latex and nitrile provide a better barrier.
Some of the many chemicals used in commercial or industrial printing include emulsions, inks, oxidizers and solvents. Because their hands are exposed to harsh and irritating chemicals, professional printers often use gloves. The best choices for those involved in printing are either thick, sturdy nitrile or durable latex gloves, provided allergies aren’t an issue.
Security guards never know what they might encounter in the course of their duties. They can encounter blood or other bodily fluids, chemicals of all kinds and even sharp objects like knives, needles or other weapons. Security workers might not even know exactly what they might encounter during a security search, so heavy, close-fitting gloves with as many chemical resistances as possible are essential. High-quality nitrile gloves are a good choice due to their ability to resist punctures.
Much like workers in chemical manufacturing, line workers and those on the factory floor use PPE based on what they’re working with. Almost every factory contains some hazardous materials. For example, if lead, acids, salts or solvents are present, sturdy, high-quality latex or nitrile latex gloves are appropriate.
Workers in all fields are entitled to perform their duties without the fear of encountering hazardous materials or even just touching something they’d rather not. Biological contaminants are a risk factor in some industries, and in others, there can be sharp objects or extreme temperatures. In many situations, such as food service, it’s the customer who needs protection from germs. To meet these safety requirements, employers must educate their employees on when to use disposable gloves and have an ample supply at the ready.
Fortunately, the wide selection of gloves on the market today means there’s personal protective equipment for every job and every situation. Disposable gloves offer the ultimate in convenience and safety because there’s no need to clean or decontaminate the gloves and no need to inspect them for damage after use. They’re simply discarded for a fresh, clean and fault-free pair. Buying disposable gloves in bulk makes all that more affordable, too.
SUNLINE Supply offers wholesale disposable gloves for all the industries listed above and many others. View our gloves available by industry or browse our general inventory of disposable gloves and PPE. If you need something specific for your industry or have any questions about which gloves best suit your situation and budget, contact our team using our glove form and learn more about our disposable gloves.
Ryen Neuman
Ryen is the Vice President of Business Development at Sunline Supply. He helps with logistics as well as selling products, loves to go to trade shows and previously won the innovation award at the Dale Carnegie Leadership for Managers. Click here to learn more about Ryen!
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