Dental Unit Water Quality

Biofilm is a thin, slimy film of bacteria that sticks to moist surfaces, such as those inside dental unit waterlines. Biofilm occurs in dental unit waterlines because of the long, small-diameter tubing and low flow rates used in dentistry, the frequent periods of stagnation, and the potential for retraction of oral fluids. As a result, high numbers of common water bacteria can be found in untreated dental unit water systems. A few disease-causing microorganisms found in untreated dental unit water include Legionella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and nontuberculous Mycobacterium. Dental health care personnel and patients could be placed at risk of adverse health effects if water is not appropriately treated.

References

CDC. Guidelines for infection control in dental health-care settings – 2003. MMWR 2003; 52(No. RR-17):1–66. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5217.pdf[PDF-1.2M].  Accessed March 17, 2016.

US Environmental Protection Agency. National primary drinking water regulations, 1999: list of contaminants. Washington DC: US Environmental Protection Agency, 1999. https://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html.  Accessed March 17, 2016.

Ricci ML, Fontana S, Pinci F, et al. Pneumonia associated with a dental unit waterline. Lancet 2012; 379(9816):684.

Peralta G, Tobin-D’Angelo M, Parham A, et al. Notes from the Field. Mycobacterium abscessus Infections Among Patients of a Pediatric Dentistry Practice — Georgia, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:355–356. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6513a5.htm. Accessed April 15, 2016.

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