Biofilm and the dental office

Article Abstract:

Films of microorganisms may form along water lines in dental equipment and lead to infections in patients and dental staff, though precautionary measures may reduce the risk of such infections. Biofilms form along the surfaces of water-containing objects and may contain bacteria and fungi. Hospital outbreaks of bacterial infections with Pseudomonas, Mycobacteria, and Legionella species have been traced to water sources. Research has not shown that exposure to dental water presents a health risk, but there have been cases of infections traced to a dental water source. The American Dental Association has published a statement on precautions that can be taken to prevent biofilm formation. These suggestions include running water lines for several minutes, following the manufacturer's maintenance guidelines, and using sterile water for some procedures.

Cover Story, Water quality

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Decontaminating dental instruments: testing the effectiveness of selected methods

Article Abstract:

Enzymatic presoaking followed by ultrasonic cleaning with detergent or dishwasher cleaning may decontaminate dental instruments more effectively than other methods. Dental tools are decontaminated to remove blood, dental materials, and saliva before sterilization. Researchers compared the effectiveness of seven decontamination methods in removing blood from dental instruments. None of the techniques completely removed all of the blood from the implements. Two-step decontamination processes that used a presoaking agent and an ultrasonic cleaner with detergent or a dishwasher cleaning left less than a trace of blood on the dental implements. An ultrasonic cleaning with water or the use of a presoaking agent alone left moderate to large amounts of blood on the instruments and were the least effective decontamination methods.

Decontamination (from gases, chemicals, etc.), Decontamination

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Can the thermal disinfector outperform the ultrasonic cleaner?

Article Abstract:

The thermal disinfector appears to outperform ultrasonic cleaners for precleaning instruments prior to sterilization, but differences are minor and ultrasonic cleaners offer other advantages. Intruments were exposed to blood and allowed to dry for either 30 minutes or 6 hours. They were then cleaned with one or the other modality and inspected and tested for the presence of blood. The thermal disinfector outperformed the ultrasonic cleaner for certain instrument types. However, allowing blood to dry for 6 hours was a significant factor. The thermal disinfector is dishwasher sized, more expensive, and requires a plumber to install it.

Disinfection and disinfectants, Disinfectants, Disinfection, Sterilization (Disinfection), Ultrasonic cleaning

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