Professional Product Review – April 2014 – Page 9“American Dental Association’s Laboratory Evaluation of Dental Unit Water Treatment Systems” Statement on Dental Unit Waterlines“American Dental Association’s Statement on Dental Unit Waterlines” “Organized dentistry has traditionally assumed responsibility for assessing and improving the quality of dental care provided to patients. The widespread adoption of enhanced infection control methodologies by dental practitioners is just one example of the profession’s commitment to high quality patient care.” The Time Bomb“Conventional dental units cannot reliably deliver sterile water even when equipped with independent water reservoirs because the water-bearing pathway cannot be reliably sterilized. Delivery of sterile water or other solutions can only be achieved by using single-use disposable or sterilizable tubing.” MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Page 29, December, 2003These CDC Guidelines specifically state that sterile solutions should be used as a coolant / irrigation in the performance of oral surgery procedures. CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care SettingsExamples of these procedures include incision, excision or reflection of tissue that exposes the normally sterile areas of the oral cavity, biopsy, periodontal surgery, apical surgery, implant surgery and surgical extraction of teeth. CDC Oral Health ResourcesThe Dental Unit Waterline Controversy, from JADABiofilms, A Growing Problem – Bill Costerton, PhDMontana State University, Center for Biofilm Engineering Proceedings |
