Awareness and practice of dental unit waterline management in dental hygienist

Abstract

Objectives:The purpose of the study is to investigate the awareness and practice of dental unit waterline management in dental hygienist. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 377 dental hygienists in Seoul and Gyeonggido from March 2 to April 30, 2015. The data were collected by direct visit and informed consent was received after explanation of the study. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, awareness of dental waterline, practice of dental waterline, and implementation of dental waterline disinfection. Data were analyzed using SPSS 12.0 program. Results: There was a significant correlation between the dental unit waterline disinfection and the appropriateness of the water used for dental treatment(p<0.01, p<0.001). The handpiece was the most commonly used device before treatment and the majority of the subjects answered that they didn't take water out of ultrasonic scaler and air-water syringe on a daily basis. Conclusions: The majority of the dental hygienists did not know the right understanding and proper practice of dental unit waterline management. To reduce the dental device contamination, the continuing education of waterline management should be done for the dental hygienists.

Factors affecting the infection control behaviours of Korean dental hygienists in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

“…A significant correlation was confirmed between the AWR IC and PRF IC ( r = 0.760, p < 0.001). This result is consistent with the results of a previous study that confirmed a significant correlation between the AWR IC and PRF IC ( r = 0.624, p < 0.001), 4 with an average AWR IC score of 4.45 ± 0.77, average PRF IC score of 4.26 ± 0.92, and average PRF IC score of approximately 0.2 points lower than that of the AWR IC . Regarding the detailed question, “I change my gloves with each new patient,” the AWR IC was 4.60 ± 0.72 and PRF IC was 3.45 ± 0.81, confirming the biggest difference of 1.15.…”

“…These results suggest that dental hygienists are aware of infection control measures, but do not always perform them. In previous studies, the average infection control awareness score was 3.33 ± 0.38, while the average infection control performance score was 3.04 ± 0.37, showing a difference of 0.30, which is consistent with this study ( p < 0.001) 4 . These results suggest that glove replacement is slightly less common than other infection‐control actions.…”

“…A significant correlation was confirmed between the AWR IC and PRF IC (r = 0.760, p < 0.001). This result is consistent with the results of a previous study that confirmed a significant correlation between the AWR IC and PRF IC (r = 0.624, p < 0.001), 4 with an average AWR IC score of with this study (p < 0.001). 4 These results suggest that glove replacement is slightly less common than other infection-control actions.…”

“…The use of gloves, a personal protection tool, to minimize the risk of cross‐infection is also recommended, and care must be taken in a wide range of activities, including reprocessing equipment, using multipurpose dental dispensers, handling contaminated equipment, handling oral equipment, and managing dental objects 2 . However, although most dental health workers recognize the need for the implementation of basic protection through improved infection control measures, a high fear of infectious diseases and disease transmission persists, while the actual compliance rate is low 3,4 …”

“…2 However, although most dental health workers recognize the need for the implementation of basic protection through improved infection control measures, a high fear of infectious diseases and disease transmission persists, while the actual compliance rate is low. 3,4 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the 2020 Comprehensive Hospital Preparedness Checklist for COVID-19, 5 a checklist of the training and equipment required in preparation for the possibility of a COVID-19 patient visiting the dentist. 5 The document may help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 in the facility and aid in the monitoring and management of all medical personnel who may be exposed to COVID-19.…”