Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | April 2012 A17 AD iNdustry NEWs While caring for their patients, den- tal and health care professionals are constantly exposed to bodily fluids that may carry viruses and other in- fectious agents. It is therefore critical that the gloves they use provide the best possible barrier protection. Many types of gloves are available today, but it is important to know that not all gloves have the same barrier capability, depending on the type of material used. For example, natural rubber latex gloves have long been acknowledged for their very effective barrier properties, while non-latex gloves, such as vinyl (PVC), have infe- rior barrier capability as shown by nu- merous studies. Other synthetic gloves, such as ni- trile and polyisoprene, perform much better than vinyl, but are more costly, especially polyisoprene gloves. Using gloves with inferior barrier capability could expose both the patients and us- ers to undesirable/harmful infections. Malaysia is the world’s largest medi- cal gloves exporter (latex and nitrile). Both quality and user’s safety are of top priority to the nation’s glove in- dustry. To this end, a quality certifica- tion program (the Standard Malaysian Gloves or the SMG) has currently been formulated for latex examination gloves. All SMG-certified gloves must com- ply with stringent technical specifica- tions to ensure the gloves are high in barrier effectiveness and low in pro- tein/low allergy risks, in addition to providing excellent comfort, fit and durability — qualities that manufac- turers of many synthetic gloves are attempting to replicate. Furthermore, latex gloves are green products, de- rived from a natural and sustainable resource, and are environmentally friendly. (You can find more informa- tion online at www.smg-gloves.com and www.latexglove.info). The use of low-protein powder-free gloves has been demonstrated by many independent hospital studies to vastly reduce the incidence of latex sensitization and allergic reactions in workplaces. More important, latex allergic indi- viduals donning non-latex gloves can now work alongside their co-workers wearing the improved low-protein gloves without any heightened allergy concern. However, for latex-allergic individuals, it is important that they use appropriate non-latex gloves that provide them with effective barrier protection, such as quality nitrile and polyisoprene gloves. Selecting the right gloves should be an educated consideration to enhance safety of both patients and users. For decades, gloves made in Malaysia have been synonymous with quality and excellence, and widely available in an extensive array of brands, features and prices. They can be sourced either factory-direct (www.mrepc.com/trade and click “medical devices”) or from established dental product distribu- tors in the U.S. (Source: Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council) ‘Barrier protection’ critical feature when choosing best medical glove ‘Many types of gloves are available today, but it is important to know that not all gloves have the same barrier capability, depending on the type of material used.’ All Standard Malaysian Gloves (SMG-certified) comply with stringent technical specifications