Equipment Sales Manager, Kai Turck, discusses the continued focus on infection prevention in dental practices.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenges of cross-infection control and decontamination in dentistry have come under the spotlight as never before. Even before the pandemic, the standards required of UK dentistry were already very high, with regulations and established protocols designed to manage cross infection heavily embedded in the profession.
However, as the population now adjusts to ‘living alongside’ Covid-19, new standards for operating procedures and working practices mean dental practices are having to invest and act accordingly to further enhance patient and staff safety.
Preventing the spread of infection, especially in the current climate, remains a number one priority for all healthcare practices. Over the past two years, dental practice teams have become familiar with enhanced PPE, decontamination protocols and minimising the risk of cross infection to comply with new standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by UK dentistry’s regulatory bodies.
However, it is also important to be aware of the new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness (NSoHC), which were first published in April 2021 and apply to all primary care NHS establishments in England. The NSoHC combines mandates, guidance, recommendations, and good practice, all designed to provide assurance that healthcare settings are delivering safe standards of cleanliness and infection control.
Leading the way
Henry Schein Dental remains at the forefront of providing decontamination equipment and consumables from leading manufacturers, with a range curated specifically to help dental professionals comply with local and national regulatory guidelines in infection protection. As such, Henry Schein seeks to ensure practices have access to dental equipment, processes, and expertise, so that they can focus on delivering excellent patient care.
The risk of cross infection remains a big concern for practices, focusing primarily on two main areas. The first is about air quality and the risk of airborne viruses, especially from aerosol-generating procedures created during some treatments. Henry Schein has responded to this challenge by offering one of many solutions using the Radic8 air purification system, which neutralises airborne pathogens and viruses through a combination of filters and air sterilisation. By dragging contaminated air away from the breathing zone and exchanging it for clean air, it helps to ensure staff and patient safety in both surgeries and waiting rooms.
The second and most significant way to prevent the spread of infection is centred around decontamination equipment. Henry Schein has discovered a significant preference in terms of autoclaves towards the use of Class B vacuum autoclaves. There has also been a noticeable move towards the use of electric micromotors, away from air motors, again reducing aerosol generation during some procedures.
Cleaning and disinfection
While vacuum autoclaves have been used in dentistry for a number of years, the main advances in today’s autoclaves can be attributed to the cycles, the volume of the chamber and the type of water used.
The Anthos A17 Class B vacuum autoclave uses plain tap water that runs through a specific internal filtration system that recycles and purifies the water, so that it can be reused in subsequent cycles. This eliminates waste, reduces cost, and increases efficiency, while solving issues associated with demineralised water storage and supply. All cycle-related data is saved on the A17’s internal memory and can be downloaded through a USB stick for total traceability and compliance.
Alongside autoclaves, thermal washer disinfectors provide controlled automated cleaning, disinfection and drying of dental instruments and handpieces, ensuring they are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected both internally and externally. The Tethys H10 Plus washer disinfector has been designed and created in compliance with EN ISO 15883-1/2 to meet the necessary requirements for ensuring washing cycles can be controlled, verified, and repeated. This particular example features an advanced operating system, which means the temperature of the water can be constantly checked and kept within required values. After the disinfection stage, the hot air-drying phase includes purification with an integrated HEP filter, with the full cycle completed in just 35 minutes.
Equipment servicing
As new SOPs and NSoHC have come into force, practices are now looking to have equipment regularly serviced to ensure it performs according to manufacturers’ parameters and that all validation, testing and maintenance procedures are recorded to ensure compliance with all required local guidelines.
Henry Schein Equipment Service provides a range of comprehensive cover options, allowing dental practices to validate and service decontamination equipment on a regular basis, giving customers peace of mind and minimising the cost and inconvenience of any unexpected breakdowns. Regular servicing ensures equipment such as washer disinfectors, autoclaves, compressors and suction pumps conform to manufacturers’ recommendations, and a service certificate is provided in compliance with CQC (Care Quality Commission) requirements.