CleanCert briefing offers a bridge over troubled waters

Piotr Leszkiewicz, an independent consultant and owner of The First Principle, which offers dental practices a full range of health and safety and consultancy services, spoke first. He was keen to emphasise the importance of adopting a proactive approach to keeping water lines clean; in his opinion, being proactive, not reactive, is key to achieving ‘best practice’.

In his experience, many water lines in dental practice fail to meet regulatory requirements, as various water line cleaners do not, in fact, effectively eliminate biofilms. Highlighting the significance of biofilm proliferation, Piotr said that it allows bacteria to grow to levels where it could transmit to humans – in the form of, for example, Legionella.

Alongside the need to choose an effective water line cleaner, Piotr considered that filling the dental unit’s bottle with reverse osmosis (RO) water is a better option than using mains water, as the dental team can rest assured that the water source is bacteria-free and can remain so with a simple maintenance procedure.