RESUMEN
The objectives of the present work are to determine the prevalence and risk factors of occurrence of occupational dermatoses among workers in a porcelain manufacturing factory. The study included 235 workers (132 males and 103 females). After history taking, dermatological examination was performed at the work place. Cases of contact dermatitis (CD) were patch tested using potassium dichromate 0.5%, Cobalt chloride 1% and Nickel sulphate 5% in petrolatum. Results showed that the prevalence of occupational dermatoses (OD) was 26.8% among exposed workers. The highest percentage of OD was found among workers in the decoration department. It represented 30.2% of all cases. CD was the commonest presentation among the studied group, it represented 27% of all cases of OD. Results of patch testing indicated that out of 17 cases of CD 12 cases (70%) were of the irritant variety and 5 cases (30%) were of the allergic type. The prevalence of OD was found to be affected by age, duration of work, type of exposure and daily bathing after work.