Water Contamination Risks at the Dental Clinic

Abstract

Dental clinics, furnished with an array of specialized equipment, are commonplace, particularly in industrialized countries. Minimizing the risk of infection at the dental practice requires the formulation and implementation of strict protocols. These protocols must address the real risk posed by water contamination, particularly given that water is both integral to the function of some dental equipment, and is typically administered directly to the patient. The water in the dental clinic may be of local origin or from a water main, this can be problematic since the clinician often has little assurance regarding the quality of water reaching the dental chair. Though most modern dental equipment includes self-sterilization protocols, care must be taken that water does not stagnate anywhere in the dental equipment or clinic. The management of water quality at the dental clinic is an important part of respecting the protocols needed to manage the risk of patient infections.

Microbial Contamination of Dental Unit Waterlines and Potential Risk of Infection: A Narrative Review

“…There are different chemical, physical or chemo-physical treatment systems of DUWLs, (e.g., peracetic acid, gluteraldehyde, chlorhexidine, chlorine dioxide, filtration, flushing, reverse osmosis, etc. ), [2,16].…”

“…Indeed, dental turbines rotate at high speed and, during the slowdown phase, exert an aspirating effect, which causes organic material present on the tip of the instrument to be drawn inside, thereby giving rise to the phenomenon of back-contamination of the water supply [16]. This contaminated water may contain bacterial loads that are thousands of times greater than the limits set on drinking water.…”

COVID-19 Pandemic and Telephone Triage before Attending Medical Office: Problem or Opportunity?

“…Nevertheless, at this moment, the classification of the patients should be mandatory and should be carried out through preventive triage: a first evaluation summary of epidemiological data, including information about travel history, is mandatory. Then, the clinical presentation results reported by the patient himself are fundamental to assessing the probability of a coronavirus infection [22][23][24][25].…”

An Eventual Sars-CoV-2 Infection Prevention Protocol in the Medical Setting and Dental Office

“…In these cases, chlorinated disinfectants, such as chlorine dioxide and hypochlorous acid, which have been shown to be quite effective, should be considered. The effectiveness of the sterilizer must be monitored and determined using the conventional, biological, chemical or mechanical indicators [ 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

“…These solutions are also recommended for use through mechanical nebulizers for sanitary environmental disinfection ( Figure 1 ) [ 19 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. The manuscript entitled “Water Contamination Risk on Dental Office” by M. Cicciù, published in 2020, is highly interesting and in this regard [ 26 ]; it concerns all the risks of contamination and infection related to the delivery and discharge pipes of the dental unit and regarding the risk to premises and apartments close to a dental office. The possibility of the latter spreading through could also be considered [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”