Processo de esterilização de materiais odontológicos: avaliação padronização em tempos de pandemia de Covid-19 / Process of sterilization of dental materials: evaluation and standardization in times of the covid-19 pandemic

Objetivos: avaliar os processos de coleta, lavagem e esterilização de instrumentais odontológicos, evidenciando se houveram mudanças no processo em função da pandemia de COVID-19, em consultórios odontológicos tanto particulares como públicos, na cidade de Pelotas-RS, visando auxiliar no incremento da segurança e eficácia da esterilização na prática odontológica, após uma crise sanitária global e propor um Procedimento Operacional Padrão (POP). Métodos: os dados foram obtidos em um único momento através de respostas dadas pela aplicação de um questionário para o profissional responsável pelo processo de esterilização de cada local. Os dados foram compilados pelo software Microsoft Excel, foi realizada a análise descritiva e os mesmos foram expressos na forma de porcentagem. Resultados: em 100% dos locais o processo de lavagem e esterilização ocorria na mesma sala de atendimento, destes em quatro locais a operação de transporte era realizada com o auxílio de uma caixa plástica higienizável e seis locais contavam com um processo de pré-lavagem. Todos os locais faziam uso de autoclave para o processo de esterilização, 100% realizavam o monitoramento químico do processo, porém apenas quatro realizavam o monitoramento biológico. Conclusão: houve poucas mudanças nos processos de lavagem e esterilização nos locais pesquisados em razão do surgimento da pandemia de COVID -19. Nenhum local examinado possuía o POP descrito do processo de lavagem e esterilização de instrumentais odontológicos e observou-se um baixo uso dos indicadores biológicos, os quais são considerados o padrão ouro da biossegurança.(AU)

Objectives: to evaluate the processes of collection, washing, and sterilization of dental instruments, highlighting any changes in the process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in both private and public dental clinics in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, with the aim of enhancing the safety and effectiveness of sterilization in dental practice after a global health crisis, and to propose a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Methods: data were collected at a single time point through questionnaire responses provided by the professional responsible for the sterilization process at each location. The data were compiled using Microsoft Excel software, and descriptive analysis was conducted. The results were expressed in the form of percentages. Results: in 100% of the locations, the washing and sterilization process took place in the same treatment room. Out of these, transportation was conducted using a hygienizable plastic box in four locations, and six locations had a pre-washing process. All locations used an autoclave for the sterilization process, and 100% performed chemical monitoring of the process, but only four locations conducted biological monitoring. Conclusion: there were few changes in the washing and sterilization processes at the surveyed locations due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the examined locations had a described SOP for the washing and sterilization process of dental instruments, and there was a low utilization of biological indicators, which are considered the gold standard for biosafety.(AU)

Climatization systems for Brazilian dental teaching clinics: a narrative review in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic / Sistemas de climatização das clínicas de ensino odontológico brasileiras: uma revisão narrativa no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19

COVID-19 outbreackhas reaffirmed the need to maintain ventilation of dental environments properly. This study was carried out to encourage a reflective analysis of the risks of air contamination in Brazilian dental clinics. A narrative review of the literature was carried out on the recommendations of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in dental environments, considering the risks of air contamination in Brazilian dental teaching clinics. The literature research was conductedin the PubMedand Google Scholar databases and the main studiesthat evaluated the climatization systems and portable high efficiency particulate air filtration (HEPA)units in dental environments were included. Furthermore, it were analyzed the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency, the Brazilian Ministry of Health and important institutions of the different countries. After the initial research, a review of the guidelines and articles that assess the use of HEPA units to improve air cleanliness. This analysis was done by different groups of researchers. All documents mentioned that the air quality of the dental offices must follow the protocols in current legislation to ensure the safety of the environs. Theyreaffirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic makes it imperative that dental environments equipped with air conditioning have mechanical air renewal devices. An alternative for Brazilian dental teaching clinics equipped with mini-splits or window air conditioning could be the installation of exhaust fans and portable HEPA filter units to exchange air and reduce aerosols inside the environments (AU).

O surto de COVID-19 reafirmou a necessidade de manter adequadamente a ventilação dos ambientes odontológicos. Este estudo foi realizado para incentivar uma análise reflexiva sobre os riscos de contaminação do ar em clínicas de odontologia. Foi realizada uma revisão narrativa da literatura sobre as recomendações dos sistemas de aquecimento,ventilação e ar-condicionado (AVAC) em ambientes odontológicos, considerando os riscos de contaminação do ar nas clínicas de ensino odontológico brasileiras. A pesquisa bibliográfica foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed e Google Acadêmico e foram incluídos os principais estudos que avaliaram os sistemas de climatização e unidades portáteis com filtragem de partículas de alta eficiência(HEPA)em ambientes odontológicos. Além disso, foram analisadas as diretrizes do Centro de Controle e Prevenção de Doenças, da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, do Ministério da Saúde e de importantes instituições de diferentes países. Após a pesquisa inicial, foi realizada uma revisão das diretrizes e dos artigos que avaliaram o uso de unidades HEPA para melhorar a limpeza do ar. Essa análise foi feita por diferentes grupos de pesquisadores. Todos os documentos mencionaram que a qualidade do ar dos consultórios odontológicos deve seguir os protocolos da legislação vigente para garantir a segurança dos ambientes. Eles reafirmam que a pandemia da COVID-19 torna imprescindível que os ambientes odontológicos, equipados com ar-condicionado, tenham dispositivos mecânicos de renovação de ar. Uma alternativa para as clínicas de ensino odontológicas brasileiras equipadas comminisplitsou ar-condicionado de janela poderia ser a instalação de exaustores e unidades portáteis de filtro HEPA para fazer as trocas de ar e reduzir os aerossóis no interior dos ambientes (AU).

Contaminação microbiológica de resinas compostas utilizadas em uma clínica-escola de Odontologia / Microbiological contamination of composite resins used in a Dental school clinic

O objetivo desse estudofoi verificar a contaminação microbiológica deresinas compostas utilizadas em uma clínica-escola de Odontologia. Trata-se de uma pesquisa experimental/laboratorial, na qual foramcoletadas amostras de 10 bisnagas de resina composta, sendo uma delas o controle negativo. Porções de resina composta contidas no interior das bisnagas foram coletadas e mergulhadas em tubos de ensaio contendo caldo nutriente eposterior semeadura em placas e coloraçãopara caracterizar as colônias e observar bactérias e fungos. Todas as amostras apresentaram contaminação, inclusive o tubo contendo meio de cultura utilizado como controle de manuseio do experimento. Essas contaminações podem ter relação com as falhas dos meios de biossegurança empregados na clínica-escola e com os métodos de transporte e armazenamento das bisnagas de resina composta. Portanto, existe a necessidade de conscientização dos estudantese docentespara a adoção de medidas de biossegurança específicas para o manuseio das resinas compostas (AU).

The aim of this study was to verify the microbiological contamination in composite resins used at one Dental school clinic. This is an experimental/laboratory study, in which samples of 10 tubes of composite resin were collected, one of which was the negative control. Portions of composite resin inside the tubes were collected and dipped in test tubes containing nutrient broth for subsequent seeding on to plates and staining for the characterization of bacterial and fungal colonies. All samples revealed contamination, including the tube containing culture medium used as control for handling the experiment. These contaminations may be related to failures in biosafety measures employed in theDental school clinic and to the transport and storage methods for the tubes of composite resin. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness among students and teachers to adopt specific biosafety measures for the handling of composite resins (AU).

Factors affecting revisit intention for medical services at dental clinics.

Recent changes in the medical paradigm highlight the importance of patient-centered communication. However, because of the lack of awareness of dental clinics and competency of medical personnel, the quality of medical services in terms of the communication between doctors and patients has not improved. This study analyzed the impact of health communication and medical service quality, service value, and patient satisfaction on the intention to revisit dental clinics. The study participants were outpatients treated at 10 dental clinics in Seoul. The research data were collected using a questionnaire during visits to these dental clinics from December 1 to December 30, 2016. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed (60 copies to each clinics) and 570 valid questionnaires were used for the analysis. The influence of the factors was determined using structural equation modeling. The factors influencing service value were reliability (ß = 0.364, p < 0.001), expertise (ß = 0.319, p < 0.001), communication by doctors (ß = 0.224, p < 0.001), and tangibility (ß = 0.136, p < 0.05). In addition, the factors influencing patient satisfaction were reliability (ß = 0.258, p < 0.001), tangibility (ß = 0.192, p < 0.001), communication by doctors (ß = 0.163, p < 0.001), and expertise (ß = 0.122, p < 0.01). Further, service value (ß = 0.438, p < 0.001) raised patient satisfaction, which was found to influence the intention to revisit dental clinics (ß = 0.383, p < 0.001). Providing accurate medical services to inpatients based on smooth communication between doctors and patients improves patient satisfaction. In addition, doctors can build long-term relations with patients by increasing patients' intention to revisit through patient-oriented communication.

Environmental Disinfection of a Dental Clinic during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Insight.

BACKGROUND: The control of biological hazard risk in health care and dental clinic environments represents a critical point in relation to the Covid-19 infection outbreak and international public health emergency. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the scientific literature on the no-touch disinfection procedures in dental clinics aiming to limit transmission via airborne particles or fomites using no-touch procedures for environmental decontamination of dental clinics. METHODS: An electronic database literature search was performed to retrieve research papers about Covid-19 and no-touch disinfection topics including full-length articles, editorials, commentaries, and outbreak studies. A total of 86 papers were retrieved by the electronic research. RESULTS: No clinical article about the decontamination of a dental clinic during the Covid-19 pandemic was detected. About the topic of hospital decontamination, we found different no-touch disinfection procedures used in hospital against highly resistant organisms, but no data were found in the search for such procedures with respect to SARS-CoV-2: (1) aerosolized hydrogen peroxide, (2) H2O2 vapor, (3) ultraviolet C light, (4) pulsed xenon, and (5) gaseous ozone. One paper was retrieved concerning SARS-CoV-2; 32 documents focused on SARS and MERS. The cleaning and disinfection protocol of health care and dental clinic environment surfaces are essential elements of infection prevention programs, especially during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The decontamination technique that best suits the needs of the dental clinic is peroxide and hypochlorous which can be sprayed via a device at high turbine speed with the ability of producing small aerosol particles, recommendable also for their low cost.

Actualización acerca del riesgo de pérdida auditiva inducida por ruido en el personal odontológico / Upgrade about the risk of hearing loss in the dental personal

La relación entre la exposición a los ruidos y la pérdida auditiva se considera desde hace muchos años. La comunidad odontológica no está exenta de este problema, ya que los profesionales trabajan a diario, y durante tiempos prolongados, con instrumentos ruidosos. Esta revisión bibliográfica tiene como propósito realizar una actualización acerca del riesgo de pérdida auditiva inducida por ruido en el personal que trabaja en la clínica odontológica. En la actualidad, se afirma que los odontólogos y el personal en la clínica dental corren el riesgo de contraer diversas patologías auditivas ­como es el caso de la hipoacusia­ debido al ruido que producen los equipos de alta velocidad. Las enfermedades profesionales del tipo auditivas que se abordan en este trabajo constituyen factores que comprometen no solo el buen estado de salud de los odontólogos y demás profesionales, sino su calidad de vida (AU)

The relationship between noise exposure and hearing loss has been known for many years. The dental community is not exempt from this problem, because they work every day and for long periods of time with noisy instruments. This literature review aims to update the risk of noise-induced hearing loss in personnel working in the dental clinic. The risk to which dentists and staff in the dental clinic are subjected to the high-speed and other noisy equipment is well known, and that can cause various auditory problems such as hearing loss. The occupational diseases of the auditory type that were addressed in this article constitute factors that compromise not only the good state of health of dentists and other professionals who work in similar conditions, but also in their quality of life (AU)

Lineamientos de bioseguridad utilizados en las clínicas dentales periféricas de la Universidad de Monterrey durante la pandemia de COVID-19 / Biosafety guidelines used in the peripheral dental clinics of the University of Monterrey during the COVID-19 pandemic

El presente artículo tiene como propósito informar sobre los lineamientos que las clínicas dentales periféricas de la Escuela de Odontología de la Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) han tomado frente a la pandemia actual COVID-19, emergente en la ciudad de Wuhan, China el pasado diciembre 2019. Dichas medidas surgen con el objetivo de cumplir con estándares de bioseguridad que eviten el contagio y/o la contaminación cruzada entre pacientes, profesionales y personal de las clínicas dentales de la UDEM; Clínica de Prevención Dental (CPD) y Clínica de Atención Dental Avanzada (CADA), las cuales permanecerán activas frente a situaciones que requieran atención de urgencia y postergando los tratamientos dentales de rutina. Los protocolos para brindar una atención de urgencia conllevan determinados pasos a seguir desde que el paciente ingresa a la clínica; iniciando con la revisión del expediente electrónico médico por medio de la plataforma Atlas.xp, seguido del llenado de un cuestionario enfocado al riesgo de la enfermedad y culminando con la toma de temperatura con termómetro infrarrojo. Los pacientes que no presenten síntomas y muestren una temperatura inferior a los 37.3 oC podrán ser atendidos bajo la aplicación de todas las medidas de bioseguridad establecidas (medidas de protección personal, de equipo y paciente, mantenimiento de dos metros de distancia en sala de espera, cumplimiento de tiempos de trabajo parciales, uso de lámparas purificadoras de aire distribuidas en las salas operatorias de las clínicas, trabajo asistido o a cuatro manos con la implementación de aislamiento absoluto en el paciente y con la utilización mínima de la pieza de alta velocidad). Asimismo, se menciona que posterior a cada tratamiento y en la culminación de la jornada laboral, todas las áreas y superficies deberán ser sanitizadas con sustancias desinfectantes específicas. Por su parte, el personal deberá portar ropa convencional al salir de las instalaciones y haber realizado un adecuado lavado de manos para evitar al máximo posible la transmisión del virus (AU)

The purpose of this article is to inform about the guidelines that the peripheral dental clinics of the School of Dentistry of the University of Monterrey (UDEM) have taken in the face of the current pandemic COVID-19, emerging in the city of Wuhan, China in the past December 2019. These measures arise with the aim of fulfilling biosafety standards that avoid contagion and/or cross contamination between patients, professionals and staff of UDEM dental clinics; Clínica de Prevención Dental (CPD) and Clínica de Atención Dental Avanzada (CADA), which will remain active in situations that require urgent care and postponing routine dental treatments. The protocols to provide urgent care include certain steps to follow from the moment the patient enters the clinic; starting with the review of the electronic medical record through the Atlas.xp platform, followed by the completion of a questionnaire focused on the risk of the disease and culminating with temperature measurement with an infrared thermometer. Patients who do not present symptoms and show a temperature below 37.3 oC may be treated under the application of all established biosecurity measures (personal, equipment and patient protection measures, maintenance of two meters in the waiting room, compliance with partial work times, use of air purifying lamps distributed in the operating rooms of the clinics, assisted or four-hand work with the implementation of absolute isolation in the patient and with the minimum use of the high-speed handpiece). It is also mentioned that after each treatment and at the end of the working day, all areas and surfaces must be sanitized with specific disinfecting substances. For their part, the personnel must wear conventional clothing when leaving the facilities and have carried out adequate hand washing to avoid transmission of the virus as much as possible (AU)

Mobile Dental Delivery System: An Effective Protocol for Hygiene and Disinfection.

Mobile dental delivery systems (MDDSs) are receiving growing interest for reaching isolated patients, as well as in dental care for fragile and hospitalized patients, with the advantage of being able to be used from room to room or during general anesthesia (GA) in an operating room. Therefore, ensuring the care safety is crucial. The aim of this study was to elaborate and assess an MDDS maintenance protocol, containing the management of dental unit waterlines and adapted to specific conditions such as dental care under GA. A step-by-step protocol was established and implemented for an MDDS used during dental care under GA in children. Samples of the output water were collected at J0, J+1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, and cultured to observe the microbiological quality of the water. All the results (heterotrophic plate count at 22 °C, at 37 °C, and specific pathogenic germs sought) showed an absence of contamination. The protocol presented was effective over time and allowed ensuring the safety of care to be ensured when using MDDS, even during dental procedures under GA. As a result, it could be implemented by any dental care delivery structure wanting to reinforce the safety of its practice.

Transmission routes of 2019-nCoV and controls in dental practice.

A novel ß-coronavirus (2019-nCoV) caused severe and even fetal pneumonia explored in a seafood market of Wuhan city, Hubei province, China, and rapidly spread to other provinces of China and other countries. The 2019-nCoV was different from SARS-CoV, but shared the same host receptor the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The natural host of 2019-nCoV may be the bat Rhinolophus affinis as 2019-nCoV showed 96.2% of whole-genome identity to BatCoV RaTG13. The person-to-person transmission routes of 2019-nCoV included direct transmission, such as cough, sneeze, droplet inhalation transmission, and contact transmission, such as the contact with oral, nasal, and eye mucous membranes. 2019-nCoV can also be transmitted through the saliva, and the fetal-oral routes may also be a potential person-to-person transmission route. The participants in dental practice expose to tremendous risk of 2019-nCoV infection due to the face-to-face communication and the exposure to saliva, blood, and other body fluids, and the handling of sharp instruments. Dental professionals play great roles in preventing the transmission of 2019-nCoV. Here we recommend the infection control measures during dental practice to block the person-to-person transmission routes in dental clinics and hospitals.

Análisis bacteriológico de piezas de mano de alta velocidad utilizadas en la práctica clínica / Bacteriological analysis of high speed handpieces used in clinical practice

Los profesionales de la salud están expuestos a una gran variedad de microorganismos desde esporas, bacterias, hongos, virus y protozoarios que pueden encontrarse en la sangre y/o saliva de los pacientes. Cualquiera de estos microorganismos puede causar una enfermedad infectocontagiosa a través de pinchazos y/o salpicaduras producidas por el aerosol durante la práctica dental. Objetivo: Determinar la presencia bacteriana en las piezas de alta velocidad utilizadas en la práctica clínica. Material y métodos: Es un estudio experimental, observacional y transversal en el que se evaluó la contaminación de 30 piezas de alta velocidad utilizadas en la práctica clínica. Previo al estudio se efectuó una estandarización obteniendo una kappa del 0.85. Se realizó una base de datos en el programa SPSS versión 22, con el que se llevó a cabo el análisis descriptivo para determinar medidas de tendencia central. Resultados: 73.3% de las muestras analizadas tuvieron crecimiento bacteriano, entre las bacterias que se encontraron resultó que 54.5% de ellas fueron bacterias Gram positivas y el resto Gram negativas. La bacteria con mayor presencia en la muestra fue el Bacillus en 45.5% seguida del Streptococcus en 27.3%, el restante 27.2% fue Staphylococcus, Coccus y Streptobacillus. Conclusiones: El uso correcto de las piezas de alta, así como su desinfección en la consulta dental es de suma importancia, ya que nos ayudan a evitar contaminaciones cruzadas y a prevenir que dentro del área de trabajo se formen focos de infección (AU)

Health professionals are exposed to a wide variety of microorganisms from spores, bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa that can be found in the blood and/or saliva of patients. Any of these microorganisms can cause an infectious disease through punctures and / or splashes produced by the aerosol during dental practice.1,2 Objective: To determine the bacterial presence in the high-speed pieces used in clinical practice. Material and methods: It are an experimental, observational and transversal study; where the contamination of 30 high-speed pieces used in clinical practice was evaluated. Prior to the study, a standardization was made obtaining a kappa of 0.85. A database was made in the program SPSS version 22, with which the descriptive analysis was carried out to determine measures of central tendency. Results: 73.3% of the analyzed samples showed bacterial growth, among the bacteria that were found, 54.5% of them were gram-positive bacteria and the rest were gram-negative. The bacterium with the highest presence in the sample was for Bacillus in 45.5% followed by Streptococcus in 27.3%, the remaining 27.2% was for Staphylococcus, Coccus and Streptobacillus. Conclusions: The correct use of the discharging parts, as well as their disinfection in the dental practice is of the utmost importance as they help us to avoid cross contamination and to prevent foci of infection from forming within the work area (AU)

Number of Pregnant Women at Four Dental Clinics and the Care They Received: A Dental Quality eMeasure Evaluation.

Process-of-care quality measure research can be used to identify gaps in the delivery of dental services to pregnant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the types of dental services that pregnant patients received in four dental clinics over five years as documented in the electronic health record (EHR). To accomplish this objective, the authors modified and validated a previously published claims-based dental quality measure for EHR use. After the electronic dental quality measure specifications were defined, the number of pregnant patients was calculated at three academic dental institutions and one large accountable care organization, and the types of dental care services they received over a five-year period (2013-17) were determined. Calibrated reviewers at each institution independently reviewed a sub-sample of patient charts to validate the information obtained from EHR queries, and the concordance between manual chart reviews and EHR query reports was analyzed. Of the 335,078 women aged 15-44 years who received care at the four clinics for the five reporting years, 3.9% (n=13,026) were pregnant. Among these pregnant patients, 48.9% (n=6,366) received a periodic dental examination; 30.0% (n=3,909) received a comprehensive dental exam; and 21.5% (n=2,799) received additional dental services, irrespective of comprehensive or periodic oral evaluations. Overall, the mean proportion of pregnant patients seeking care in these academic dental and group practice clinics was low, but 78.9% of them received either a periodic or comprehensive oral evaluation. Given the importance of oral health care during pregnancy, these findings suggest a need for curriculum development to incorporate prenatal oral health education in the training of dental students.

Clinical Integration in a Dental School Clinic Through an Enhanced Patient Intake Process.

Dental care in the U.S. is based on a general practice model of care delivery that can be enhanced by the integration of the dentists and allied dental professionals. There are 25 U.S. dental schools with associated dental hygiene programs, presenting distinctive opportunities for educating the dental health care team. Integrated educational clinical experiences are believed to positively influence teamwork and quality of care that parallels the authentic general practice environment. Lean management, developed by Toyota and used in a variety of types of organizations including health care, provides a distinctive blend of engineering principles and operations management to enhance business and operations processes. A fundamental principle of Lean management is the elimination of waste and preservation of only those value-added components of a process. The faculty and staff of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, trained in Lean process improvement, applied techniques to enhance and integrate an inefficient patient intake (admissions) process. The aim of this initiative was to improve patient throughput in the patient intake process and to provide dental and dental hygiene students with enhanced educational experiences from improved clinical integration. These goals were achieved through streamlining patient flow and relocating major phases of the process. Although new patient retention and cancellation/no-show rates remained mostly unchanged, this enhancement project resulted in improved access to care, improved continuity of care, expanded scope of dental services offered, improved patient satisfaction, and enhanced dental and dental hygiene student collaboration and teamwork. These outcomes suggest that process improvement initiatives can serve as valuable opportunities for integration of the dental health care team.

A comparison of patient safety culture at two campuses of Riyadh based dental College.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential shortcoming(s) in relevance to patient safety culture at dental clinics. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2016 at two clinics of a dental teaching college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and comprised subjects who had either direct or indirect contact with patients in the dental clinics. The subjects were handed over a questionnaire based on the Patient Safety Culture Hospital Questionnaire. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 149 subjects, 96(64.4%) were male, and 130(87%) were in direct contact with patients, while 19(13%) were in indirect contact. Overall, 52(35%) subjects stated that their unit did not have enough staff to handle the workload, and 71(47.7%) said that not encountering serious errors in their unit was pure luck. An encouraging finding was that 104(69.8%) subjects said their managers appreciated them when they followed the established patient safety protocol. Conclusion: There was a variation in the perception of patient safety culture among professionals.

Dog-assisted therapy in the dental clinic. Part B. Hazards and assessment of potential risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog.

Background: A dental therapy dog may help anxious patients in the dental clinic overcome their fear and facilitate the completion of necessary dental care. Dental clinic activities are associated with hazards that may pose potential risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog. Objectives: To describe potential hazards associated with risks to health and safety to therapy dogs in dental clinics and to present suggestions for risk minimisation by adopting best practices in dental clinic settings. Materials and method: Literature searches in Medline, http://Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar for qualitative and quantitative assessments of occupational hazards and risks in dental clinics, in combination with a review of the reference list of the included studies. Identified hazards and risks were analysed relative to their relevance for the health and welfare of a therapy dog present in a dental clinic setting. Results: Workplace hazards in the dental clinic that apply to both humans and therapy dogs are allergies, sharps injury, eye injury, stress, rhinitis, hearing impairment, and other hazards. Additional concerns associated with risks for the dental therapy dog are situations involving erratic patient behaviour and threats if the patient is an undisclosed disease carrier. Risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog in the clinics are present but are low if the dental clinical staff and dog handlers comply with best practices. Conclusions: Best practice includes awareness amongst the clinic staff and the dog handler of all potential hazards in the dental clinic and on how to reduce these hazards as well as adverse events that may scare the dental therapy dog. The dental therapy dog team must be specially trained to work in a dental clinic. Each treatment session has to be exclusively tailored to that specific appointment and the individual patient.

Dog-assisted therapy in the dental clinic: Part A-Hazards and assessment of potential risks to the health and safety of humans.

Background: Dog-assisted therapy in the dental clinic may be an attractive alternative to sedation for anxious patients. Including a dental therapy dog in a clinical setting introduces new hazards and potential risks to health and safety for both humans and animal. Objectives: The study aims to describe potential hazards associated with risks to humans by having a therapy dog present in the dental clinic and to provide guidance on best practices to minimise and control risks for the patients, the dentist, and the dental clinic staff. Materials and Methods: Literature searches in Medline, http://Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar for qualitative and quantitative assessments of hazards and risks associated with the use of therapy dogs in health care settings, in combination with a review of the reference list of the included studies. Identified hazards and risks were analysed with respect for the health and welfare of humans in a dental clinic setting that involves the presence of a therapy dog. Results: Potential risks to health and safety for humans in dental clinics that offer dog-assisted therapy can be categorised within four general categories of hazards: the dog as a source of zoonotic pathogens and human diseases, exposure to canine allergens, adverse animal behaviour, and dangers associated with high activity in a congested dental clinic operatory. Risks to humans are reduced by maintaining awareness amongst the dental clinic staff and the dog handler of all potential hazards in the dental clinic, and on how to reduce these hazards as well as adverse events that may scare the dental therapy dog. Conclusions: Risks to the health and safety of humans in the presence of therapy dog in the clinics are present but are low if the dental clinical staff and dog handlers comply with best practices.

Development of a pharmacy referral protocol to enhance interprofessional services in a university-affiliated dental medicine clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the process of developing pharmacy consult services within a university-affiliated dental clinic. Secondary objectives are to describe the frequency of pharmacy consults provided when comparing the initial to the modified protocol and interventions, over time. SETTING: A university-affiliated student-driven dental medicine clinic in the Midwest. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: The dental clinic consists of third- and fourth-year dental students who provide dental services and are supervised by dental faculty. Pharmacy consults are prompted due to patient criteria met on the protocol, patient-specific factors, drug information, or other reasons. Pharmacists are present to provide consults directly with dental students or patients. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Since October 2013, pharmacy services have been implemented into a dental clinic. A protocol is established to identify dental patients with high risk medications and medical conditions that may interfere with dental treatment. The initial protocol has been modified to include additional high-risk medications and conditions that the pharmacy team was being consulted for outside the protocol criteria. EVALUATION: A retrospective chart review was completed to evaluate the frequency of use of the original pharmacy protocol and the interventions provided. After the protocol was modified to include additional high-risk criteria, a second chart review was completed to assess changes in frequency of protocol use and interventions provided. RESULTS: Pharmacists undergo extensive self-learning to understand the dental-related concerns of the high-risk criteria as well as the dental workflow. The original pharmacy protocol accounted for 42.3% (n = 113) of the overall pharmacy consults (n = 267). After protocol modifications, utilization increased to 76.4% (n = 352, total n = 461). CONCLUSION: Pharmacists are successfully integrated into a dental medicine clinic to provide services to enhance dental patient care. The approximate 30% increase in the use of the pharmacy consult protocol demonstrated that the modified version was more effective.

Adequabilidade do percurso de instrumentais odontológicos na central de material e esterilização / Path adequacy of dental equipment at material storage center

Objetivo: analisar a adequabilidade do percurso de instrumentais odontológicos na central de material e esterilização. Método: estudo quantitativo, descritivo, observacional, realizado em 10 unidades odontológicas com central de material e esterilização. Foi utilizado um questionário para a coleta de dados, analisados pela epidemiologia descritiva simples a partir de tabelas. Resultados: predominaram unidades odontológicas que não apresentam espaço físico adequado para processamento de materiais; não apresentam porta de entrada específica para materiais contaminados; nenhuma faz inspeção visual com auxílio de lupa na limpeza; e a embalagem dos instrumentais esterilizados foi adequada. Quanto aos testes para confirmações de esterilização, houve prevalência do teste químico mensal. Conclusão: as unidades não atendem às exigências mínimas da vigilância sanitária para qualidade no processamento de instrumentais odontológicos.

Developing a Relevant Taxonomy to Assess Dental School Clinic Patient Complaints.

The aims of this study were to categorize and analyze the most frequent patient complaints at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) clinic in an effort to identify areas in need of improvement. A retrospective review of patient complaints reported to the RSDM Office for Clinical Affairs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015 was conducted. A total of 148 unduplicated patients were selected for evaluation because they made at least one official complaint. In total, 193 patient complaints were made during this period. A published complaint taxonomy was used to categorize RSDM patient complaints into domains, categories, and subcategories, highlighting frequent issues of complaint. Of the 193 complaints made, 256 issues were identified. The results showed that the most frequent domain of complaint was Management, followed by Clinical, then Relationships. Institutional Issues and Quality were the most recurring categories coded. Of the 26 subcategories, nearly 70% of the complaints were coded into one of four: Finance and Billing, Delays, Patient Journey, and Quality of Care. While the results were effective in identifying broad areas of improvement, there were limitations to using the traditional taxonomy in the dental school setting. Based on these data, the RSDM Patient Complaint Taxonomy, specific to the needs of a dental school environment, was created in an effort to gain increased specificity and further enhance quality improvement measures. It is the hope of the research team that this tool will be used across dental schools, opening the door for future collaborations and ultimately improving patient care.

Improving a Dental School's Clinic Operations Using Lean Process Improvement.

The term "lean production," also known as "Lean," describes a process of operations management pioneered at the Toyota Motor Company that contributed significantly to the success of the company. Although developed by Toyota, the Lean process has been implemented at many other organizations, including those in health care, and should be considered by dental schools in evaluating their clinical operations. Lean combines engineering principles with operations management and improvement tools to optimize business and operating processes. One of the core concepts is relentless elimination of waste (non-value-added components of a process). Another key concept is utilization of individuals closest to the actual work to analyze and improve the process. When the medical center of the University of Kentucky adopted the Lean process for improving clinical operations, members of the College of Dentistry trained in the process applied the techniques to improve inefficient operations at the Walk-In Dental Clinic. The purpose of this project was to reduce patients' average in-the-door-to-out-the-door time from over four hours to three hours within 90 days. Achievement of this goal was realized by streamlining patient flow and strategically relocating key phases of the process. This initiative resulted in patient benefits such as shortening average in-the-door-to-out-the-door time by over an hour, improving satisfaction by 21%, and reducing negative comments by 24%, as well as providing opportunity to implement the electronic health record, improving teamwork, and enhancing educational experiences for students. These benefits were achieved while maintaining high-quality patient care with zero adverse outcomes during and two years following the process improvement project.