C2 INDUSTRY NEWS Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition | November 2020 Barrier protection critical with gloves HYGIENE TRIBUNE PUBLISHER & CHAIRMAN Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com GROUP EDITOR Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com EDITOR IN CHIEF DENTAL TRIBUNE Dr. David L. Hoexter feedback@dental-tribune.com MANAGING EDITOR Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com PRODUCT/ACCOUNT MANAGER Humberto Estrada h.estrada@dental-tribune.com PRODUCT/ACCOUNT MANAGER Maria Kaiser m.kaiser@dental-tribune.com CLIENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR Leerol Colquhoun l.colquhoun@dental-tribune.com ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR Nirmala Singh n.singh@dental-tribune.com Tribune America LLC 118-35 Queens Blvd, Ste 400 Forest Hills, NY 11375 (212) 244-7181 Published by Tribune America © 2020 Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Kristine Colker at k.colker@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume respon- sibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Tribune America. While caring for their patients, dental and health care professionals are con- stantly exposed to bodily fluids that may carry viruses and other infectious agents. It is critical the gloves these pro- fessionals use provide the best possible barrier protection, especially today. Many types of gloves are available, 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 (polyvi- nyl chloride), have inferior barrier capa- bility as shown by numerous studies. Quality, safety top priorities Other synthetic gloves, such as nitrile and polyisoprene, perform much better than vinyl but are more costly, especially polyisoprene gloves. Using gloves with inferior capability could expose both the patient and user to harmful infections. Malaysia is the world’s largest medical gloves exporter (latex and nitrile). Both quality and users’ safety are of top prior- ity to the nation’s glove industry. To this end, a quality certification program (the Standard Malaysian Glove, or the SMG) has currently been formulated for latex examination gloves. Stringent technical specifications All SMG-certified gloves must comply with stringent technical specifications to ensure the gloves are high in barrier effectiveness, low in protein and low in allergy risks, in addition to having excel- lent comfort, fit and durability — quali- ties that manufacturers of many syn- thetic gloves are trying to achieve. Latex gloves are green products, de- rived from a natural and sustainable re- source, and are environmentally friend- ly. (You can learn more by visiting www. smgonline.biz or www.latexgloves.info). The use of low-protein, powder- Photo/Provided by Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council free gloves has been demonstrated by many independent hospital studies to markedly reduce the incidence of latex sensitization and allergic reactions in workplaces. More important, latex-allergic individ- uals donning non-latex gloves can now work alongside their coworkers wearing the improved low-protein gloves with- out any heightened allergy concern. However, for latex-allergic individuals, it is still important they use appropriate non-latex gloves, such as quality nitrile and polyisoprene gloves, which provide them with effective barrier protection. Extensive array of brand, prices Selecting the right gloves should be an educated consideration to enhance safety for both patients and users. For decades, gloves made in Malaysia have been synonymous with quality and ex- cellence, and they are widely available in an extensive array of brands, features and prices. Dental gloves can be sourced either factory direct (www.mrepc.com/ marketplace) or from established den- tal products distributors in the United States and Canada. (Source: MREPC) EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward “ FRAMEWORK, page C2 • American Dental Hygiene Associa- • Medicaid Medicare CHIP Dental Ser- tributing to the Three Domain Frame- work includes: • American Academy of Pediatrics • American Dental Association • American Dental Education Associa- tion tion vices Association • American Institute of Dental Public Health • America’s ToothFairy, National Chil- • National Dental Association • National Rural Health Association • Partnership for Integrating Oral dren’s Oral Health Foundation Health Care into Primary Care • Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors • Hispanic Dental Association Find out more about the Dentaquest Partnership at www.dentaquestpartner ship.org. Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criti- cism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see articles about in Hygiene Tribune? Let us know by sending an email to Group Editor k.colker@dental-tribune.com. We look forward to hearing from you!