DENTAL DECONTAMINATION


Taking control


NES decontamination adviser Irene Black off ers some tips to dental practices on how to keep in line with the latest guidance


I


NFECTION control is a high-profi le issue for dental services and one that has inspired considerable media coverage in recent years as


well as numerous case histories in dental journals. But while decontamination has been a more


contentious issue for dentistry since the introduction of HTM 01-05 requirements by the Department of Health, it’s important not to overlook other aspects of infection control which are just as signifi cant in terms of patient safety. T ree areas of infection control that cause most


concern to patients and patient safety organisations are hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment and the re-use of single use items. Despite it being the basic fi rst step in achieving


infection control, evidence suggests healthcare professionals still don’t apply hand hygiene as consistently as they should. Good hand hygiene before and aſt er patient treatment episodes, in conjunction with wearing and changing disposable gloves, is an essential requirement for all dental care professionals and is the cornerstone of good infection control. Similarly, dental personnel must also know their


responsibilities in terms of the safe use of personal protective equipment such as surgical masks, protective eyewear and protective clothing. Single-use items reduce the risk of patient-to-


patient transmission of infection but policies on their use diff er across the UK. In Scotland in 2004, endodontic instruments were designated high-risk items aſt er research showed endodontic fi les couldn’t be cleaned eff ectively, thus raising the risk of residual contamination with nerve tissue and potentially prions. Based on this evidence, disposal of endodontic fi les aſt er single use was deemed essential north of the border. However, the situation in England diff ers.


Following a review in 2010, re-use on the same patient at subsequent visits is considered acceptable providing they are marketed as re-useable and stipulations for re-processing and traceability are adhered to precisely. What remains clearly unacceptable anywhere in


the UK is the re-use of equipment carrying the single-use symbol, as this would breach requirements set out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Key to the consistent application of infection


control precautions is providing adequate dental equipment. Problems can arise if practice owners or management fail to provide or restrict the use of items essential to meet the standards. No dentist would want to be on the receiving end of a


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SUMMONS


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