Lately there has been a lot in the news about dental unit waterlines with the confirmed death of an elderly woman in Italy who died after contracting Legionnaires disease from a visit to her dentist which was attributed to contaminated dental unit waterline. Although there are many sides to the question of whether to use a waterline cleaner or not, with the correct information you can make informed decisions about why and how to best to treat your dental unit waterlines.
For more information or to order please visit us at www.infectioncontrolproducts.com or call us at 800-366-0973!
The Issue
Did you know research has shown that in newly installed dental unit waterlines, microbial counts can reach a count of 200,000 colony-forming units (cfu) per milliliter within five days after installing new lines? Bacteria and other microorganisms form a biofilm, which adheres to the inside of the tubing that supplies water to the dental instruments. As water moves through the tubing, or dental waterline, microorganisms slough off into the water, thus contaminating it. All dental waterlines, new or old, that are not being cleaned routinely will not pass the 500 cfu maximum limit with rare exception. Often, the output water from dental waterlines is many times more contaminated than tap water.ADA’s Recommendation
The ADA encourages dentists to follow the recommendations presented in the Council on Scientific Affairs' Statement on Dental Unit Waterlines which advises strict adherence to maintenance protocols to sustain the quality of dental unit water. Specifically, dental unit water must meet the EPA's standard for safe drinking water quality (heterotrophic bacteria of less than 500 CFU/mL of drinking water), and one or more commercial devices and procedures designed to improve dental unit water quality should be employed.The Solution
Discount Disposables has a line of waterline testing and treatment products designed to reduce harmful bacteria exposure from the dental water to protect your patients and staff.- ProEdge Waterline Test Kit - Reliable, easy-to-use mail-in waterline test system designed specifically for dentistry. Accurately determines the CFU’s per mL of bacteria present in the dental unit water. Each water source requires a test vial. Overnight shipping is included in the price. In stock and ships within 24 hours!
- Dentapure Waterline Cleaner for Bottle Water – Dentapure is the most advanced, easiest to use, clinical water treatment technology available! It was designed for compliance with the ADA recommendation to have <200 cfu of bacteria in dental unit waterlines. With a DP40 or DP365B in place there is no need for line cleaning, no need to cut into expensive dynamic instrument tubing and no need for complicated installation or maintenance. Just install, use according to labeling and rest assured that your water will pass all biological quality recommendations.
For more information or to order please visit us at www.infectioncontrolproducts.com or call us at 800-366-0973!