title: Microbial diversity in dental unit waterlines.
abstract: Dental health care providers and patients are exposed during ongoing work to contamination by the water used in the dental units, due to accidental swallowing or aspiration of the sprays generated by the high-speed handpiece and the threeway syringe. This study evaluated the quality of water in dental units in the public dental care system of Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil, by conducting analyses of contamination by total coliforms, E.Coli, heterotrophic bacteria and filamentous fungi. We collected 200 mL of water at 5 sites in 6 dental offices of the Department of Health located in different parts of the city. A total 212 isolates and 16 genera of filamentous fungi were identified in the water collected from the dental units. Total coliforms indicated that the water used in dental units was not appropriate for human consumption. The high levels of contamination found in this study showed that water was a potential source of cross-infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guacyra M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Central Laboratory, Public Health of Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yves R M
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Central Laboratory, Public Health of Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Telma M L
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Prosthesis, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Stegun
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eurípedes A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: da Silva-Filho
mesh_terms: D000164:Acremonium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058491:Bacterial Load; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003748:Dental Equipment / Q000382:microbiology*; D003754:Dental High-Speed Equipment / Q000382:microbiology; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005093:Exophiala / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D010407:Penicillium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013594:Syringes / Q000382:microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply