The Importance of Maintaining Dental Equipment Dental equipment is the workhorse of the practice. Without it, dentists, dental nurses and other dental professionals would be unable to carry out their work tasks. Dental equipment represents a significant financial investment for most practices and if something goes wrong repairs or replacements can be costly. Many pieces of dental equipment are made up of minuscule parts forming complex and sensitive inner workings that can be damaged through age and constant use. Faulty equipment poses a potential danger for both the patient and the user; for this reason, as you could be inadvertently placing your patients at risk if you are not adhering to the manufacturer’s maintenance protocols, it is far better to prevent than to cure. Regulations To ensure risk from equipment failure is minimised a review of all equipment should be made, checking the age and last service date of each piece of equipment. As of 1998, it became law that all medical devices must have “CE” marked on them to indicate the product has been made to a high quality and has been manufactured to health and safety standards. This particular legislation was brought in to protect both the patient and user from lesser satisfactory products that are not fail-safe. When purchasing new equipment be sure to check it is compatible with current equipment and is fit for purpose, and remember the cheapest option is not always the best. Manufacturer recommendations When servicing equipment it is imperative that the team follows the manufacturer’s instructions supplied with the product. Staff have a “duty of care” under the health and safety at work act preventing them from putting themselves or anyone else at risk. Risk may be caused by something as simple as not following the maintenance recommendations of the manufacturer as this could lead to attempts at inappropriate maintenance. Furthermore, by not following the manufacturer’s instructions you are likely to be invalidating the warranty, which can in turn lead to increased costs and increased risk. Maintenance regimes may need to be set up and followed to ensure sufficient maintenance of the practice’s equipment. Hand instruments Most hand instruments require no other maintenance other than regular and effective cleaning. However, a regularly occurring issue faced by dentists is blunt instruments, which will require maintenance in addition to cleaning. For a dental professional to carry out procedures efficiently they will require a sharp instrument for precision, to decrease fatigue and generally speed up the process of the procedure. Many of the dentist’s inventory of tools will need sharpening, tools including probes, hand scalers, excavators, chisels and carvers. When sharpening instruments care should be taken to avoid fracturing a brittle and weak instrument, as this could potentially cause harm to the patient. Suction equipment To maximise the effectiveness and longevity of suction equipment follow the manufacturer’s care and maintenance instructions, effective cleaning products should be used for daily and weekly cleaning, and most manufacturers will recommend that machines are annually serviced by a qualified technician. Handpieces Handpieces are technical and intricate pieces of equipment that need to be serviced and repaired by qualified technicians. Under no circumstances should a dentist ever service their handpieces themselves other than cleaning, lubrication and sterilisation. Contracts should be set up with the manufacturer’s approved/accredited engineers to ensure handpieces are serviced regularly and costly repair charges are avoided. Electrical Equipment Electrical equipment varies throughout each practice, but what can be said is its variety and complexity is growing constantly. The centrepiece of any practice is its dental unit, arguably the most critical piece of electronic equipment within dentistry. To avoid catastrophe it must be carefully serviced by specialist technicians, along with other pieces of electrical equipment, such as the radiography machine, and film processor which should also regularly have its chemicals changed. Sound maintenance and servicing of equipment in the dental practice goes hand in hand with sound surgery protocols. To ensure an efficient practice and a high standard of service for patients, sufficient training must be carried out for the dental team to ensure they are aware of the proper use of equipment, are alert to potential malfunctions are able to have repairs carried out as soon as possible to avoid further breakage or potential injury to themselves or patients.
