Infection Control

Infection controls and universal precautions protect clients and staff alike. Everyone benefits from rigorous infection control — you, your dentist, and the dental team. The cornerstone in a good and safe dental practice is the element of trust. You should feel free to discuss this topic with Dr. Defaii and receive a straightforward answer. Dr. Defaii and our entire team follow procedures recommended by several federal agencies: the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These measures include:

• Disinfectant hand soap
• Gloves and face masks
• Chemical disinfection of countertops and surfaces
• Sterilization of all equipment before every use
• Disposable materials

We sterilize all reusable equipment, including dental hand pieces. We use an autoclave, a device that kills bacteria and viruses by steam, heat and pressure. The best defense against disease is information.

EO Aerosol Evacuator

The ADS System is being hailed as the gold-standard because it is the only unit that utilizes both HEPA filtration, as well as, UV-C light disinfection to trap and kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. That is important, because the other units only utilize HEPA filtration and the best HEPA filters in the world can trap about a 200-250 micron size particulate. Covid-19 has been found to be present in particulates as small as 125 microns. So the UV-C light feature, amongst others, makes the ADS unit very attractive.

When aerosols are created by high-speed handpieces, ultrasonic scalers, and other instruments, the “spray” not only carries particles of water but also bacteria, viruses, blood, and saliva. These aerosols can contain up to 100,000 bacteria per cubic foot of air. One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself, the patient, and your staff is to reduce airborne particles with continuous suction. Continuous suction via HVE can reduce aerosols by as much as 90%.

Air Purification Systems

The Jade System by Surgically Clean air is emerging as the leader in this space, because it utilizes HEPA filtration, UV-C light disinfection & Ionization/Ozone technology to effectively trap and kill viruses as small as 100 microns (smaller than Covid). It also turns the air over in a room 6x/hour which so far is the requirement by the U.K. version of the CDC for dental offices to reopen. We don’t have a similar mandate yet, but it could possibly go that way.

The more you know, the better equipped you are to make wise decisions about your health care. The more you know about our daily procedures and policies, the more comfortable you will feel.