WASHER DISINFECTOR

A Requirement Or A Necessity In A Dental Practice

When deciding to purchase a new piece of equipment into the practice that raises many practical questions such as Will this make my practice more efficient? What would be the daily cost for running the new piece of equipment? What type of maintenance does it entail?

Within a dental clinic, one of the most potentially hazardous steps are the cleaning of contaminated instruments. There are two methods to clean dental instruments: manual and automated cleaning. A Washer Disinfector minimizes the physical handling of instruments and the many steps involved with manual cleaning such as pre-soaking, scrubbing, and drying instruments. All these steps involve handling the contaminated instruments thereby increasing the risk of being exposed to blood and body fluids, as well as the risk of sharps injuries. In addition, to meeting the re-processing the instruments requirements, automated washing and disinfection provides a safe, effective, and efficient way to clean instruments, allowing staff to focus on the most important thing in the dental office, the patient.

Busy Specialist dental practices that perform surgical and orthodontic procedures prefer to use a washer disinfector for reprocessing the instruments prior to sterilizing the instruments. The practices have greater workload, re-processing needs, and instruments are stacked in cassettes makes using a washer disinfector a convenient and practical option. Washer Disinfectors will meet your day-to-day re-processing needs with efficiency, limited dependency on the dental staff, and providing safety from sharps injury.

As per the AS/NZS standards 4815:2006 it is recommended that calibration of the equipment is required upon commissioning, 6-12 monthly and after repair. Additional requirements include regular performance tests, daily checks for chemical residue, checking filters, cleaning jets, and door seals. For further information please refer to AS/NZS 4815:2006.

To further your understanding, different manufacturer recommended test kits and detergent that you need to consider when running a Washer Disinfector are as follows:

Soil Tests

Soil Tests are a simple, easy-to-use indicator that ensures instruments are effectively and consistently cleaned with the detergent within your Washer Disinfector.

Detergent Solutions

Detergent Solutions within a Washer Disinfector is designed to remove any type of protein/debris from instruments.

*Note: Please follow the recommended manufacturer approved soil test and detergent stated in the owner’s manual.

Cassettes

Cassettes are used for safe and efficient instrument cleaning, sterilization, and storage.

You have assessed your practice needs and require support on the various washer disinfector options available in the market to meet your requirement. Please contact our friendly Henry Schein team for further information.

References doi: 10.1086/676867. Epub 2014 May 20. PMID: 24915220.

Rutala WA, Gergen MF, Weber DJ. Efficacy of a washer-disinfector in eliminating healthcareassociated pathogens from surgical instruments. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Jul;35(7):883-5.

Winter S, McDonagh G, Lappin D, Smith AJ. Assessing the efficacy and cost of detergents used in a primary care automated washer disinfector. Br Dent J. 2018 Aug 24;225(4):315-319. doi: 10.1038/ sj.bdj.2018.643. PMID: 30141495.

Ransjö U, Engström L, Håkansson P, Ledel T, Lindgren L, Lindqvist AL, Marcusson E, Rudbäck K. A test for cleaning and disinfection processes in a washer-disinfector. APMIS. 2001 Apr;109(4):299304. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0463. 2001.d01-124. x. PMID: 11469502.

AS/NZS 4815:2006-Office-based health care facilities— Reprocessing of reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of the associated environment.