The prevention of COVID-19 in the dental office requires a unique approach. Dentists, hygienists and assistants work in close proximity to their patients and many procedures produce aerosols in the mouthwhich can increase the risk of transmission
from an undiagnosed COVID-19 patient. This is one of a series of blog posts about the multi-barrier infection control protocol we put in place at LUMIA DENTAL, because we believe just adding caution and a bit more PPE is just not enough.
Today we're discussing the use of UV-C light as a thorough and effective approach to disinfect surfaces and most importantly the air, in case any droplets containing the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) linger after patient treatment.
It is of the highest importance in general but especially in the current pandemic environment, to carefully and effectively sanitize and disinfect treatment rooms between one patient and the next. The complexity of that task and the fast pace in a dental office can easily lead to mistakes and people cutting corners to get the next patient into the chair as quickly as possible.
To avoid intentional or unintenional errors, a clearly defined protocol and staff training is key to ensure safety for patients and staff. While the infection measures are only as good as how they are executed, the available tools and equipment define the extent to which every corner and aspect of the treatment room can be sterilized. Well run dental offices have always carefully wiped down surfaces with disinfecting wipes and placed single-use plastic film (barriers) on all surfaces that could be potentially touched by the patient, provider or assistant, like the chair, suction devices, trays, light, protective glasses and more. Cuspidors (the little sink patients spit into) are notoriously dirty; modern offices have switched to suction funnels with a single-use cover that is freshly replaced for each patient.
The challenge with COVID-19 is the thoroughness of the process and airborne droplets:
Some offices have started to use spray disinfectant but the ability to do this between every patient visit is limited and the lingering chemicals of such treatments carry their own health risks. Germicidal UV-C light provides a much better solution for this problem. UV-C is a special spectrum of UV light that is proven to kill pathogens such as viruses and even the toughest bacteria provided they emit sufficient power to cover the required space. UV-C disinfection works in minutes, thoroughly blasts the entire space and leaves no chemical residues.
In addition to our already high cleaning standards, surfaces and the air in our treatment rooms are blasted with this light after every patient visit, no exceptions! In addition we are using a smaller, supplemental unit that is diagonally setup to cover any areas in the shadow of the hospital grade unit. This gives our patients and our staff assurance that we apply the highest standards of sanitation to keep them safe at LUMIA DENTAL.
After a few days of training and testing to ensure the UV-C light stays in the treated area and does not penetrate curtains or gaps, our staff has really fallen in love with our SafeZone 850M9 and affectionately named it "Betsy".
Come visit our office or book a free tele-consult and ask us about Betsy and other measures we have taken to minimize the risk of COVID-19 during your dental visit.