Dozens of British dentists inspected by health officials were not following infection control guidelines designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
An analysis of 1,667 dental practices inspected by health officials last year found that 189 were not following health department instructions on cleaning instruments and equipment, according to a story in the Daily Telegraph.
To prevent the spread of blood-borne disease, experts recommend that instruments should be prepared in a separate room from the dentist's surgery room. They should be scrubbed in one sink, rinsed in a second, inspected for any fragments under a microscope, and processed through an ultrasonic bath or an autoclave steam cleaner, the story noted.
The instruments must then be stored for up to three weeks in sterile and dated packets. Some equipment cannot be cleaned and reused safely, and must be discarded after each patient.
A British Dental Association official said studies show about 1 in 17 practices were in breach of infection control rules. However, he noted, dentist have a better track record of infection control than found in nursing homes and National Health Service hospitals.
