Biofilm problems in dental unit water systems and its practical control

Biofilm, Dental Unit Water Line and Its Control

Biofilms are well-organized communities of cooperating microorganisms that can include bacteria, algae, fungi and diatoms. Dental unit waterlines (DUWL) are an integral part of dental surgery equipment, supplying water as a coolant, primarily for air turbine and ultrasonic scalers. Surveys of dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) indicate that biofilm formation is a universal problem and great majorit...

Multiple approaches to control dental unit water line biofilm contamination

Biofilms form rapidly on dental unit waterlines. The specific design of dental units favors bacteria to colonize surfaces and to form biofilm in water supply tubes, including dental unit water line (DUWL). The majority of the organisms in the biofilm are harmless environmental species, but some dental units may harbour opportunistic respiratory pathogens. Microbiological control of dental unit ...

Microbial biofilm formation and contamination of dental-unit water systems in general dental practice.

Dental-unit water systems (DUWS) harbor bacterial biofilms, which may serve as a haven for pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial load of water from DUWS in general dental practices and the biofouling of DUWS tubing. Water and tube samples were taken from 55 dental surgeries in southwestern England. Contamination was determined by viable counts on environmentally sele...

Microbial diversity of biofilms in dental unit water systems.

We investigated the microbial diversity of biofilms found in dental unit water systems (DUWS) by three methods. The first was microscopic examination by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), acridine orange staining, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Most bacteria present in the biofilm were viable. FISH detected the beta and gamma, but not the alpha, subclasses of Proteobacteria: In ...

Dental unit water systems harbor large numbers of microorganisms.