Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

September 10-16, 2012United Kingdom EditionProduct Spotlight24 Need advice? Ask the stain removal experts: Beverly Hills Formula is delighted to announce that their Total Protection Whitening toothpaste is proven to be less abrasive than some other leading brands of both whitening and regular toothpastes www.beverlyhillsformula.com sales@beverlyhillsformula.com We’recon dentyou’lllove BeverlyHillsFormulatoothpaste weo er100%moneybackguarantee *seebackofthetoothpastecartonforinformationonmoneybackguarantee Prove it to Yourself - Whiter Teeth in 1 Minute just leave toothpaste on teeth for up to 1 minute before brushing H ygiene in the dental of- fice is a matter of course and a must for patient safety. Instruments are steri- lized daily and work surfaces disinfected. Moreover, dentists and assistants wear gloves and face masks. Nonetheless, a seemingly harmless object is found wanting in terms of hy- giene in many dental offices: the patient bib holder. These are often contaminated with bacteria, a recent study by Wit- ten/Herdecke University (Ger- many)1 has shown. Bacteria were found on 70 per cent of the bib holders. Witten/Herdecke University examined the number and type of germs found on patient napkin holders more closely. A total of 30 metal and plastic patient napkin holders were subjected to microbiological tests. The results are alarming. Bacteria were found on 70 per cent of the bib holders, despite the fact that some of the hold- ers were regularly cleaned and even disinfected. The most frequently found microorganisms were staphy- lococci and streptococci. Also, different types of rods, pseu- domonads - both types of bac- teria -, fungi as well as other types of cocci were found on individual chains. Although all were non-pathogenic bacte- ria, it is clear that, in principle, bacteria transfer can occur via bib chains. During a compa- rable study conducted by the University of North Carolina2 the E.coli bacterium, which can cause serious diseases, was found on napkin holders. Risk of cross-contamination Previous studies published in 2010 2,3,4 already noted the po- tential risk of cross- contami- nation. The staphylococci and streptococci mainly found in the current study occur all around us and are non-hazardous for healthy people when found in low concentrations. However, it should be noted that both types of cocci can also cause infection: staphylococci are re- sponsible for wound infections, boils and food poisoning, while streptococci can lead to scarlet fever, endocardium inflamma- tion and pneumonia. The de- tected fungal species can also trigger physical reactions such as allergies, fever or irritation of the respiratory tract if they occur in higher concentrations. In view of the possible haz- ards posed by germs on patient napkin holders, the conven- tional practice of cleaning such utensils is unacceptable. Even if no known evidence for seri- ous infections exists to date, a change of thinking is needed here so that no potentially con- taminated napkin holders are used on patients during dental treatment. Disposable napkin holders such as Bib-Eze™ from DUX Dental (www.duxdental.com) offer the solution: they are easy to handle and provide a safe al- ternative to traditional metal or plastic reusable holders while eliminating the contamination risk. Hygienic, disposable nap- kin holders are the right choice for you and your patient. DT 1 Study Report Witten/Herdecke Univer- sity, Faculty of Health, Germany: Micro- bial contamination of patient bib holders, February 2012. 2 UNC School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Bib Chain Contamina- tion Study. 3 John A. Molinari, Ph.D. - Microbial Contamination of Patient Napkin Hold- ers THE DENTAL ADVISOR Biomateri- als Research Center Dental Consultants, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan; June 2010. 4 Noel Kelsh RDH. Don’t Clip That Crud On Me. RDH. January, 2010. Dental patient bib holders source of bacteria