Thank you to Dr. Shannon Mills for an excellent overview of the waterline challenge ("The Dental Unit Waterline Controversy: Defusing the Myths, Defining the Solutions," October JADA). Much useful information is included, and I hope that practices use this information to increase the safety of dentistry for our staff and patients.
One important piece of information was missing from the article. Although the micropore filters can be installed at minimal cost, these devices are very costly to use on a regular basis. Our calculations when we were considering the Clearline filters was a cost of approximately $1,300 per month, or over $15,000 annually, for our seven-operatory office. This will lead to another jump in fees to be passed on to our patients.
Instead of filters, we would encourage dentists to use a manufacturer-approved system of flushing the lines, drying out nightly, treating with sodium hypochlorite weekly and testing quarterly. The above treatments coupled with independent reservoirs filled with distilled water help us consistently achieve test results far below the goal of 200 colony-forming units per milliliter.
In addition, this waterline challenge gives dentistry the opportunity to be proactive and get some positive press. Our office publishes our test results and posts the results at our front desk. We also test tap water to show our patients how much cleaner the water in our units is than the water they drink on a regular basis. [We] use the opportunity to show patients again how much we care and how much we are doing to ensure their safety.
