Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

9FeatureJanuary 24-30, 2011United Kingdom Edition W ith the ever increas- ing focus on the im- portance of infection prevention and control, particu- larly since the recent outbreaks of MRSA and C.Diff, the need to enforce stringent decontamina- tion protocols has never been more relevant. Infection control has and always will be a sub- ject of paramount importance in medical and healthcare environ- ments; however, in recent years there has been an increased level of awareness, both within the field and amongst the public, of the risks associated with sub- standard cleaning procedures. This in turn has highlighted the obligation of every member of the dental team to strictly adhere to infection control procedures. It is essential that all work surfaces and floor coverings are continuous, non-slip and where possible, jointless. It is a well es- tablished fact that surfaces are especially vulnerable to contami- nation from potentially infective microorganisms, and as such re- quire strict and systematic decon- tamination that will significantly reduce the risk of infection to both patients and staff alike. Ar- guably the most effective way of ensuring that decontamination is executed as effectively as possi- ble is a technique known as ‘zon- ing’. Zoning is a preliminary step to surface disinfection, focusing on clearly defined areas that are prone to contamination and in- volving the separation of contam- inated and clean areas along with the allocation of dedicated space to ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ instrument storage. When zoning, the areas that must be included are: • Dental chair and spittoon • Work surfaces • Controls/switches • Floors Practices must ensure that ap- propriate and sufficient training is given to all members of staff, and document it as evidence. It is essential that dental nurses always deal with treatment ar- eas, although it is acceptable to employ a cleaner to take care of floors and public areas. When staff go through the process of cleaning and disinfecting, it is then that, damage and wear come to light, enabling them to be dealt with quickly so as to avoid bacte- ria and dust accumulation. Recent research indicates that the regular use of commercial bactericidal cleaning agents and wipes is effective in maintain- ing cleanliness whilst potentially reducing viral contamination of surfaces. In the last few years, infection scares have highlighted the very real need to ensure that decontamination protocols, such as the one below, are followed: • Treat your patient • Discard all disposable protection • Remove and discard all disposable end fittings from the suction unit • Disinfect the chair and hand controls • Clean and disinfect surfaces, chairs, spittoons and other risk areas • Add new disposable protections and fittings • Treat your last patient • Clean and disinfect all work sur- faces, including those not visibly contaminated •Cleananddisinfectsurgeryfloors • Always clean from the cleanest area towards the dirtiest The importance of strict and effective cleaning and decontami- nation cannot be overemphasised, it is essential to all dental practices and should be adhered to by all staff members. DT Infection controlRichard Musgrave discusses the importance of effective surface decontamination About the author Richard Musgrave With a background in the industry spanning 18 years, Richard brought his knowledge and experience to schülke five years ago. Initially working to develop both the range of infection control products as well as the acclaimed infection control training division, Richard is now re- sponsible for the UK marketing team.