A practical approach to improving the quality of water used for routine dental treatments.
The water delivered through dental units connected to municipal water supplies often is contaminated with bacteria and other organisms as a result of biofilm formation in waterlines. Water and other solutions used for dental treatment should meet generally recognized standards for drinking water quality. Public concern over the safety of drinking water and media attention paid to dental water quality will continue to increase. The number of immunocompromised patients who are at risk of developing infectious diseases from exposure to contaminated water aerosolized from dental units also will continue to increase. Improving the quality of water used in routine dental treatment is a worthwhile goal and reasonable measures to improve water quality now are available.
Plamondon
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HQ USAF, Office of the Surgeon General, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC, USA.
Mills
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D000336:Aerosols; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D018441:Biofilms; D002648:Child; D003748:Dental Equipment / Q000382:microbiology*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification; D014881:Water Supply
D000336:Aerosols