This paper describes a trial of chlorine dioxide in dental unit waterlines to produce potable quality water. Four treatment protocols using 50 ppm activated chlorine dioxide solution were tested. Each caused a short-term (<48 h) decline in total viable counts but did not provide potable quality water. Intermittent use of chloride dioxide is thus not suitable for long-term decontamination of den...

conclusions flushing dental unit waterlines are an effective measure in reducing the number of bacterial contaminants. results bacterial contamination was found in all 24 units at the beginning of daily activity with a mean colony count of 17850. the number of colonies decreased to 3250 following 30 seconds of flushing in 16 units and later to 1837 after flushing for two minutes in 13 units. in...

The quality of water in a dental unit is of considerable importance because patients and dental staff are regularly exposed to water and aerosol generated from the dental unit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of microbial contamination in dental unit waterlines. Water samples were collected aseptically from the waterlines (reservoir, triple-syringe, high-speed) of 15 dental...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of low levels of iodine constantly present in the dental unit water system on microbial control of dental treatment water and biofilm control. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study used a dental unit water system simulator with eight dental unit waterline systems built to scale and function, each controlled via computer. Each of the eight units was operated indep...

The study aimed to assess the prevalence of Legionella spp. in dental unit waterlines of a dental clinic and to verify whether the microbiological parameters used as indicators of water quality were correlated with Legionella contamination. A risk management plan was subsequently implemented in the dental health care setting, in order to verify whether the adopted disinfection protocols were ef...

Output water from dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) may be a potential source of infection for both dental healthcare staff and patients. This study compared the efficacy of different disinfection methods with regard to the water quality and the presence of biofilm in DUWLs. Five dental units operating in a public dental health care setting were selected. The control dental unit had no disinfectio...