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Every time regulatory guidelines are tightened or new measures introduced, modern dental practices have a huge amount with which to contend. Many aspects of a practice demand detailed attention so as to meet the latest requirements. These concerns can often overshadow a surgery’s core activity (the treatment of patients) without which practices would not survive. 

To have an edge over the competition, practices need to meet patient expectations by making the right first impression with aesthetically pleasing surroundings, and by delivering top quality care. The equipment and design of the surgery used to deliver that care also has to satisfy the latest industry guidelines. 

HTM 01-05 has brought in ‘essential quality requirements’, which include new regulations for decontamination procedures. Best practice is a clearly separate decontamination area, implying a separate room should be used for reprocessing only, and utilising a validated automated washer-disinfector. This will be a requirement of the future and needs to be considered when planning and designing surgery upgrades.