Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures
Background: Waterlines in dental units can harbor various types of bacteria and microorganisms, including heterotrophic bacteria, which can pose a health risk to patients and dental personnel. This study aimed to investigate the extent of heterotrophic bacterial contamination in the waterlines of de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System |
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| Online Access: | https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_50676_fe4257ec611d35c15d9a83a80ca52dac.pdf |
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| author | Ali Shahryari Amineh Zahed Abdolhalim Rajabi Maryam Shafipour Niloufar Emrani Hadi Rahimzadeh Hamidreza Heidari |
| author_facet | Ali Shahryari Amineh Zahed Abdolhalim Rajabi Maryam Shafipour Niloufar Emrani Hadi Rahimzadeh Hamidreza Heidari |
| author_sort | Ali Shahryari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Waterlines in dental units can harbor various types of bacteria and microorganisms, including heterotrophic bacteria, which can pose a health risk to patients and dental personnel. This study aimed to investigate the extent of heterotrophic bacterial contamination in the waterlines of dental units and evaluate its potential as a health risk factor for occupational and patient exposure.Methods: This cross-sectional study selected four active departments at the Faculty of Dentistry, Golestan University of Medical Sciences (Gorgan, Iran). Bacterial contamination in the waterlines, dental handpieces, and other water-related components of dental units was investigated and analyzed in terms of Colony-Forming Units per milliliter (CFU/ml). The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signedrank tests using SPSS version 23.Results: The mean and standard deviation of bacterial contamination across all studied departments were significantly higher than the recommended limit of 500 CFU/ml (ranging from 10,250.00±8,924.28 CFU/ml for the inlet to the water tank in the pediatric department to 275,625.00±41,520.86 CFU/ml for the air-water syringe before flushing in the surgery department). No significant differences were observed between departments (P>0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in bacterial contamination between different days and hours of sampling (P>0.05), although bacterial levels were higher on Saturdays and mornings. Flushing the waterlines for 30 seconds reduced bacterial contamination (P<0.05).Conclusion: Stagnation of water in dental unit waterlines, particularly over weekends or after working hours, using reserve water during dental procedures, and insufficient flushing of dental handpieces resulted in consistently high bacterial contamination levels. Therefore, using fresh water and performing proper flushing in dental handpieces is strongly recommended to mitigate the risks associated with bacterial contamination. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-268f1e3e7fe241b49751c77ffc9c5561 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2345-2218 2345-3893 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Shiraz University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System |
| spelling | doaj-art-268f1e3e7fe241b49751c77ffc9c55612025-02-02T06:03:20ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesJournal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System2345-22182345-38932025-01-0113110010610.30476/jhsss.2024.100477.183850676Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s ExposuresAli Shahryari0Amineh Zahed1Abdolhalim Rajabi2Maryam Shafipour3Niloufar Emrani4Hadi Rahimzadeh5Hamidreza Heidari6Environmental Health Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranEnvironmental Health Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranEnvironmental Health Research Center, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.Environmental Health Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranDepartment of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranEnvironmental Health Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranEnvironmental Health Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, IranBackground: Waterlines in dental units can harbor various types of bacteria and microorganisms, including heterotrophic bacteria, which can pose a health risk to patients and dental personnel. This study aimed to investigate the extent of heterotrophic bacterial contamination in the waterlines of dental units and evaluate its potential as a health risk factor for occupational and patient exposure.Methods: This cross-sectional study selected four active departments at the Faculty of Dentistry, Golestan University of Medical Sciences (Gorgan, Iran). Bacterial contamination in the waterlines, dental handpieces, and other water-related components of dental units was investigated and analyzed in terms of Colony-Forming Units per milliliter (CFU/ml). The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signedrank tests using SPSS version 23.Results: The mean and standard deviation of bacterial contamination across all studied departments were significantly higher than the recommended limit of 500 CFU/ml (ranging from 10,250.00±8,924.28 CFU/ml for the inlet to the water tank in the pediatric department to 275,625.00±41,520.86 CFU/ml for the air-water syringe before flushing in the surgery department). No significant differences were observed between departments (P>0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in bacterial contamination between different days and hours of sampling (P>0.05), although bacterial levels were higher on Saturdays and mornings. Flushing the waterlines for 30 seconds reduced bacterial contamination (P<0.05).Conclusion: Stagnation of water in dental unit waterlines, particularly over weekends or after working hours, using reserve water during dental procedures, and insufficient flushing of dental handpieces resulted in consistently high bacterial contamination levels. Therefore, using fresh water and performing proper flushing in dental handpieces is strongly recommended to mitigate the risks associated with bacterial contamination.https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_50676_fe4257ec611d35c15d9a83a80ca52dac.pdfbacteriacontaminationdental unitheterotrophicwaterline |
| spellingShingle | Ali Shahryari Amineh Zahed Abdolhalim Rajabi Maryam Shafipour Niloufar Emrani Hadi Rahimzadeh Hamidreza Heidari Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System bacteria contamination dental unit heterotrophic waterline |
| title | Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures |
| title_full | Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures |
| title_short | Assessment of the Heterotrophic Bacterial Contamination in Waterlines of Dental Units as a Potential Health Risk Factor in Occupational and Patient’s Exposures |
| title_sort | assessment of the heterotrophic bacterial contamination in waterlines of dental units as a potential health risk factor in occupational and patient s exposures |
| topic | bacteria contamination dental unit heterotrophic waterline |
| url | https://jhsss.sums.ac.ir/article_50676_fe4257ec611d35c15d9a83a80ca52dac.pdf |
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