Talking Points
As a profession dedicated to prevention and high-quality care, dentistry has taken the initiative in calling on researchers and manufacturers to ensure that the water used in dental patient care is of the highest possible quality.
Although scientists have not established any link between dental unit water and harm to a patient, the profession’s commitment to patient comfort and safety is evident in the goal it set back in 1995 for improving dental unit water quality. The commitment also included a challenge to industry to meet the goal and programs to educate dentists about the issue. In addition, the profession evaluates new technology through its Seal of Acceptance program and provides grants for independent research through the ADA Health Foundation.
The Association has called on industry and researchers to develop the technology that will provide unfiltered water with no more than 200 CFU/ML (colony-forming units per milliliter). The Association recommends that dentists follow the current infection control guidelines of the ADA and CDC to help reduce the number of microorganisms present in treatment water. The ADA also encourages its members to keep abreast of new technological developments, helping them with educational articles and other information.
Although time is needed to evaluate their effectiveness in meeting the ADA goal, the Food and Drug Administration has recently cleared a number of new products to improve the quality of water. The Association encourages manufacturers of new products such as water filtration systems, improved disinfectant systems and dental units that are not dependent on municipal water supplies to submit those products to the ADA Seal of Acceptance program for evaluation. This will allow dentists to choose products with even greater confidence.
Safety in the dental office is a top priority for the dental profession. Don’t hesitate to ask your dentist about any aspects of your dental office visit.
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