Hygiene management of dental units: speaking about patients’ safety - ROS - 2018 - Tome 47 - N°2

Santé publique

Pages 158 to 171

ABSTRACT — Dental units are an essential element in the practice of dental surgery. However, their use presents a risk of infection due to possible external contamination, but also internal contamination through flowing water, through the suction system, and also via medical devices that are connected to it (particularly dynamic handpieces). To guarantee the safety of care, both for patients and healthcare professionals, the dental surgeon must rely on checked and validated methods of maintenance of dental units and must be able to apply them. 

In this article, we will present maintenance guidelines for dental units addressing the contamination risks of this equipment and we will describe proven validation methods (microbial quality of water flowing in dental unit waterlines, hygiene of the suction system, cleaning of dynamic handpieces). These methods will allow practitioners in hospitals or private practices, dental surgeons or other people using dental units to check the infectious risk inherent to this equipment in order to provide safe care to their patients.