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Water Quality and Biofilms
Featured topics include: Anesthesia • Antibiotic Prophylaxis • Are amalgams safe? • Infection Control • Latex Allergy • Medication • Water Quality and Biofilms • X-rays
Water Quality and Biofilms
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In today's world, many patients are concerned with the spread of infection during medical treatments. You may have heard of "biofilms," which are microscopic communities that consist primarily of naturally occurring water bacteria and fungi.
Biofilms form thin layers on virtually all surfaces, including dental instruments such as the thin tubes used to deliver water during treatment. These common microbes or germs also accumulate inside objects around your home, such as like showerheads and faucets.
Scientific reports have not linked illness to water passing through dental water lines.
When an individual's immune system is compromised because of age, smoking, heavy drinking, being a transplant or cancer patient, or as a result of HIV infection, he or she may have more difficulty fighting off germs.
For this reason, the American Dental Association encourages patients who have weak or compromised immune systems to notify their dentist prior to seeking treatment.
The ADA has set rigid standards for the purity of water used in the dentist office. In 1995, the ADA called for equipment providing unfiltered water with no more than 200 CFU/ml (colony-forming units per milliliter) by the year 2000.
