Nov 18 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Dental clinics hotbeds of infection
DurgeshNandan Jha
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New Delhi:
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The National Health Services (NHS) in UK recently issued recall orders to 22,000 dental patients--believed to be the biggest in the country's medical history--following a scare over poor infection control method at one particular clinic.The dentist allegedly used dirty equipment and failed to change gloves between patients, an irregularity common among nearly all dental clinics. In India, the risk is even greater with dental clinics mushrooming over the last decade, but without adequate precautions.
“A dental clinic has to be more careful about infection control than even the operation theatre. This is because most come as walk-in patients for invasive procedures. If proper safety methods are not adopted, the risk of transmission is high,“ said Dr Dibyendu Mazumder, president, Dental Council of India. He said most private clinics in cities operate from small rooms which have inadequate space and the practitioners tend to cut costs by spending little on equipment for infection-control, for ex ample multiple sets of sterilized instruments. The people employed for sterilization and disposal of waste have not undergone any formal training, he added. His views were echoed by Dr Ajoy Roy Choudhary , professor and head of the oral and maxillofacial surgery unit at AIIMS. Dr Choudhary said increasing awareness about oral health has spurred the demand for dental clinics that act as multi-specialty units. “They offer a range of procedures--from extraction to root canals. The risk of blood-borne infection, such as HIV , Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, is very high if precautions aren't taken,“ he added.
According to Dr Mahesh Verma, director and principal of Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), patients need to be more vigilant to avoid becoming unsuspecting victims.“You must watch out for cleanliness in and around the clinic. Ensure the dentist uses fresh gloves and sterilized equipment. These are some of the simplest ways to avoid cross infection,“ he said.
Though the demand for dental procedures has gone up, people are still not ready to pay for the procedures because they are mostly not life threatening. “If we have to buy all equipment and take into account space requirements as per international standards, we will have to shut the clinics,“ said a dentist, who runs a private clinic in South Delhi.
“A dental clinic has to be more careful about infection control than even the operation theatre. This is because most come as walk-in patients for invasive procedures. If proper safety methods are not adopted, the risk of transmission is high,“ said Dr Dibyendu Mazumder, president, Dental Council of India. He said most private clinics in cities operate from small rooms which have inadequate space and the practitioners tend to cut costs by spending little on equipment for infection-control, for ex ample multiple sets of sterilized instruments. The people employed for sterilization and disposal of waste have not undergone any formal training, he added. His views were echoed by Dr Ajoy Roy Choudhary , professor and head of the oral and maxillofacial surgery unit at AIIMS. Dr Choudhary said increasing awareness about oral health has spurred the demand for dental clinics that act as multi-specialty units. “They offer a range of procedures--from extraction to root canals. The risk of blood-borne infection, such as HIV , Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, is very high if precautions aren't taken,“ he added.
According to Dr Mahesh Verma, director and principal of Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), patients need to be more vigilant to avoid becoming unsuspecting victims.“You must watch out for cleanliness in and around the clinic. Ensure the dentist uses fresh gloves and sterilized equipment. These are some of the simplest ways to avoid cross infection,“ he said.
Though the demand for dental procedures has gone up, people are still not ready to pay for the procedures because they are mostly not life threatening. “If we have to buy all equipment and take into account space requirements as per international standards, we will have to shut the clinics,“ said a dentist, who runs a private clinic in South Delhi.
