S2E3 ProEdge Dental Water Labs: Must haves for the Infection Control Coordinator

Level Up Infection Prevention Podcast

Unhygienic practices have always been frowned upon in various industries. From the food you eat, the clothes you wear, to even the water you drink, hygiene is an essential aspect that everyone needs to take seriously. This sentiment should be more emphasized in the medical field, particularly in dentistry, where dentists use water to clean your mouth. Do you feel safe on the water you are using for your patients? In this episode, we have invited Mike Rust, Regional Sales Manager at ProEdge Dental Water Labs. Mike shares why dentists need to be mindful of the water they are using for their clients, how to treat the waterlines, and why you should be worried about your waterlines.

What is ProEdge Dental Water Labs?

[02:30]

ProEdge Dental Water Labs is the largest dental water testing laboratory globally. Mike shares that they deal with hundreds of water samples from dental offices across America. They test their waters and check if it’s a pass or failure. They help dental offices get the best results, ensure their water is safe, and protect their business and reputation.

Why should you worry about your waterlines?

[04:40]

Mike explained that people never knew that contaminated dental water lines were a health risk to the general population until recently. Nobody thought that even healthy children could become sick from contaminated dental water lines. What more on immunocompromised patients? Mike explained that waterlines are the “perfect petri dish” for growing biofilms. Although biofilm is non-pathogenic, and you can drink from it, water containing biofilm is not ideal for dental practices.

[06:37]

Mycobacterium abscessus made more than 230 children ill. It caused anxiety, lawsuits, and at the same time, creating awareness on water treatment. This type of incident is why ProEdge is hustling every day, ensuring that it doesn’t happen again.

What is the process of treating the waterlines?

[12:15]

Mike explained that water should be drinkable. To do that, a low level of disinfectant is needed. Any water used on patients should meet the “drinking water standard.” There are commercially available products on the market used to treat water, called “shock products.” When you “shock” your waterline on a Monday morning, the water is safe until Thursday afternoon because it takes 96 hours for the biofilm to reattach itself to the line.

What is the latest product ProEdge offers, and how does it work?

[19:02]

The Flow Cytometer is the most recent product ProEdge uses. Flow Cytometer counts the number of “bugs” or cells present in the water sample, whether alive, dead, or damaged. The procedure allows dental offices to get the results without waiting for a week.

Is testing done per operatory or for water bottle and operatory?

[22:23]

Mike explained that the state of Washington says that you can use pooled, combined, or commingled samples. A dentist shall test their waterlines every 90 days, and they don’t want you to take just one sample from your entire office of tens of operatories and put a drop from each one of them. Generally, ProEdge suggests people test every bottle separately. If there is a failure, you will know which one failed, and you will have to shock and retest them if necessary.

Is Distilled Water safe?

[30:47]

Mike explained that distilled water grows biofilm a bit faster than your municipal tap water. Tap water contains some chlorine, and although it is statistically insignificant, it says a lot about distilled water. However, chlorines are not strong enough for dental waterline treatment. The water that comes out from the faucet from your home has the drinking standard 99% of the time, but it is vastly different once it goes to the dental waterline.

Complimentary Coaching

[36:00]

ProEdge helps anyone get safer water by helping them get better water test results, regardless if they are their customers or not. They are on this journey to help. Mike encourages everyone to visit their website for free consultations. They will not sell anything, but hopefully, you will like them so much that you want to do business with them.

Learn more about Mike and ProEdge on:

Website: https://proedgedental.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proedge-dental/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-rust-bba0b244/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proedgedental/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProEdgeDental

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSugiQTRVaxwnOIiCj3eog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proedgedental