Finding the ideal surface disinfectant

Contamination of gloved hands can occur through both direct patient contact as well as indirect contact by touching of environmental surfaces. There are two types of dental environmental surfaces: housekeeping and clinical contact surfaces. Housekeeping surfaces do not come into contact with hands or devices used during dental procedures (eg floors, walls and sinks). Housekeeping surfaces can be treated (sanitized) at the end of the work day. Clinical contact surfaces can readily become contaminated with patient fluids and micro-organisms (eg light handles and switches, three-way syringes and hoses, dental chairs arms and headrests, bracket tables and handpiece switches and hoses).

Microbial survival rates on environmental surfaces vary widely. Numerous factors (eg microbial numbers and environmental resistance, temperature, humidity and level of organic materials present) influence persistence. Accurately predicting survival times is not possible. Therefore, the best position is that viable microbes are present and need to be removed or killed.

There are two general approaches to surface asepsis: