Cross Contamination

Within a dental surgery all surfaces are subjected to potential contamination during most dental procedures. The production of aerosol spray that can carry potentially harmful bacteria and viruses into the atmosphere will settle on surfaces posing a risk of both direct and indirect infection.

The method of disinfecting hands, surfaces and equipment within a surgery was traditionally centred around using alcohol-based products. These came with considerable drawbacks as a method of cross infection control as alcohol has been shown to cause microcracking of surfaces, binding of proteins to surfaces and dryness and cracking of skin. As well as these drawbacks, alcohol is unsuitable for use within the dental unit waterlines and produces an acrid smell within the surgery.

An alternative suggested within HTM 01-05 is the use of bleaches or chlorine. These have similar drawbacks to alcohol-based products as well as producing an acrid smell, being an irritant and requiring higher COSHH requirements. Chlorine, much like alcohol, is only a means to disinfect.

The main drawback of using a disinfectant only means having to adopt a two-step process to ensure cross contamination controls are met. A surfactant/detergent is required to be used on a surface to remove any soiling’s prior to disinfection. In a modern busy practice nurses are already under onerous time constraints and practices are working to ever tighter budgets. The cost of a two-step process in both monetary value and the application of resource, with increased COSHH requirements, consumes valuable time from one of a dental surgeries most precious resource, the dental nurse.

In recent years we have seen the rise of 2 in 1 cleaner disinfectants within the dental sector. As well as the time and cost savings of 2 in 1 products, the evolving technology for disinfectants has given rise to an alternative means of infection control in the form of Alcohol-Free biocidal solutions such as the Continu 2 in 1 products. These are available as Wipes, Sprays, Waterline Treatments and Instrument Cleaners offering a fully HTM 01-05 complaint disinfection solution that can clean and disinfect in a one step process. Continu combined detergent and disinfection offers a cost saving as a one stop procedure and simplifies a practice’s disinfection guidelines.

Products such as the Continu 2 in 1 solution have the benefit of a low chemical hazard rating reducing the COSHH risks and associated monitoring as well as leaving a fresh, clean and fragrance-free working environment.

The benefits of alternatives from alcohol and chlorine methods of disinfection control are apparent for the practice. The use of such products efficiently utilises staff resources for cleaning and disinfection whilst offering a low chemical hazard rating minimising the exposure to harmful chemicals. This, coupled with the need to hold less stock of product and reduced purchasing costs for a product that can prolong the life of surfaces on equipment results in a saving on capital expenditure in the long term.

As dental practices evolve and modernise, so too can disinfection procedures, Products such as Continu offer a modern and convenient alternative.