Background: The Journal of the American Dental Association recently published a study that measured the long-term effects of six different disinfectants on nine of the most common surfaces in the dental office. The author of the study—Charles John Palenik PhD, Director of Scientific Affairs and Research at the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP)—stated that not only do disinfectants have the ability to make surfaces aesthetically unpleasing, but also can make them harder to disinfect over time.
The six disinfectants used in this study were:
- Birex SE Spray
- CaviCide Spray
- Regular Bleach (diluted 1:10 w/ tap water)
- DisCide Ultra Disinfecting Spray
- Lysol II IC Disinfectant Spray
- OptiCide3 Spray
The nine office surfaces tested were as follows:
- Smooth Vinyl
- Textured Vinyl
- Brushed Aluminum
- Smooth Stainless Steel
- Laminated Heat-Resistant Thermosetting Plastic
- Service Line Rubber Hosing
- High-Impact Plastic
- Acrylic Resin Sheets
- Enameled Metal
Methods: To conduct this study, Palenik set up each surface-disinfectant pairing to have 10 samples, which consisted of 10cm squares at least 20mm thick (except for the rubber hosing which was 15cm long). He then used the standard “spray-wipe-spray” method to disinfect each surface a total of 1,920 times, which is the estimated number of cleanings dental practices should implement each and every year. After every 100 disinfectants, he also conducted a blood removal testing for each surface to monitor the residual blood and disinfectant cleaning ability.
Results: Overall, the study found that Birex SE had the best blood removal scores over time than the other tested products, while DisCide Ultra had the poorest results (along with CaviCide and OptiCide3 producing similar scores). As for the surfaces that were tested, enameled metal as well as smooth and textured vinyl were the hardest to clean over extended periods of time.
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For more information on this study, please visit: http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspxItemID=310694&pag=dis&sec=sup&sub=hyg&wf=33
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