title: An investigation on the safety of rewashed gloves.
abstract: Despite recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services, some dental professionals are using rewashed gloves. To study the effects of repeated washings, latex gloves were washed up to 50 times and tested for defects before and after washing. Then, to investigate the safety of rewashed gloves, they were contaminated with either bacteriophage viruses or Staphylococcus epidermidis. After application of four commonly used hand-washing solutions, the contaminated gloves were washed one to five times and tested for residual organisms. Our results showed that one percent of the gloves had manufacturer's defects, and that repeated washings did not increase the incidence of these defects. Furthermore, in spite of significant reductions in the number of microorganisms on contaminated gloves after repeated washings, rewashed gloves remained infected with the test organisms. The results of this investigation indicate that rewashed gloves have the potential to cause cross-contamination.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Glang-Yetter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torabinejad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torabinejad
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006801:Humans