Smooth running

Effective maintenance of equipment in a dental surgery or laboratory is essential to the smooth functioning of both. Without strict adherence to scrupulous maintenance procedures, dentists run the risk of equipment breakdown and even complete failure, causing inconvenience to staff and patients. 

A dentist’s instruments and equipment represent a significant financial investment, and most dentists cannot afford the expense of costly repairs and replacements. Dental instruments, and especially hand pieces, are intricately designed with sensitive inner workings that are difficult and time consuming to replace, and easily damaged by age and frequent use. Faulty equipment has the potential to cause injury physically and biologically, so your patient’s health is very much at risk if strict maintenance protocols are not adhered to. It goes without saying prevention is better than cure with regards to surgery equipment. 

To facilitate efficient instrument maintenance, dentists should carefully consider any new equipment that they purchase and assess the items’ quality.  From June 1998, all medical devices must have a ‘CE’ mark to show that the item has been manufactured to high standards, and that it complies with health and safety standards. This legislation was brought in with the express purpose of protecting the public and the user from inferior products that could fail. Care should be taken to ensure that new instruments are compatible with equipment already in place and that it is fit for purpose, remembering that the cheapest product is not necessarily the best option.  

A manufacturer’s instructions are sacrosanct when it comes to the maintenance of new and existing dental equipment. Failure to follow their recommendations will invalidate the warranty, which in turn may require maintenance and repairs to be carried out by registered technicians. Furthermore, all members of staff have a ‘duty of care’ under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, preventing them from performing any action that may put others or themselves at risk. This includes attempting inappropriate maintenance on dental equipment which should be carried out by a fully trained and qualified specialist. Therefore, it is important rigorous maintenance regimes are set up and adhered to, this being the responsibility of the practice owner or manager in charge.

Hand instruments

Many hand instruments need no other care other than effective cleaning. However, some of the main problems that dentists come up against in the surgery are caused by blunt items, these being part of a group of instruments requiring more specific maintenance other than simply cleaning. Many of the instruments a dentist uses must be sharp for optimum performance. Probes, excavators, carvers, chisels, cervical trimmers and hand scales are all needed for precise work, and due to cleaning and sterilisation they can quickly become blunt and ineffective. Sharp hand instruments promote precision, decrease operator fatigue, and reduce the time it takes to complete a procedure. Regular sharpening is important, although care must be taken to avoid fracturing a brittle and weak instrument, which could cause damage to the patient’s mouth. 

Hand pieces are costly, complicated instruments that demand careful maintenance and care. Contracts should be set up and approved by certified technicians as neither the dentist nor their staff should service these hand pieces other than everyday cleaning, lubrication and sterilisation. 

Suction equipment

To keep suction equipment working effectively, filters must be cleaned regularly with a disinfectant solution run through the tubings. To avoid the build up of mucous, suction tubing should also have water aspirated through it after every patient. 

Electrical equipment

The variety and complexity of electrical dental equipment is constantly growing and evolving. Considerable inconvenience to the dental team can be avoided by careful maintenance of the dental unit, the most important piece of electrical equipment in the surgery. Again, this and other electrical equipment should be cared for by specialist technicians. This is especially important for radiography equipment, which should have its chemicals changed regularly. 

Good maintenance of medical devices in the dental environment goes hand-in-hand with sound surgery protocols. This will ensure high standards of service for patients. Proper training is a must to ensure dental professionals are aware of the correct working of equipment. They must also be alert to malfunction so that repairs can be carried out immediately.