Biosafety in dentistry: what is it and why pay attention on it?

Biosafety in dentistry is a subject that has always been very important to ensure the health of dentists, assistants and patients. It determines the set of procedures that must be performed within an office to prevent the spread of diseases.

In the coronavirus pandemic period, the concept of biosafety gained even more strength and also new procedures, such as the suspension of the use of devices that emit aerosols.

These new strategies were focused on preventing the transmission of the coronavirus during consultations. The main objective was to enable dental offices to continue to serve their patients. However, this situation also returned to attracting attention to practices that are essential for the proper functioning of an office. Shall we understand more about it?

What is biosafety for dentists?

Biosafety, in a very general way, is the set of actions that must be taken by any type of activity that involves chemical, physical or biological risks, in order to preserve the health of those involved.

This protection is mainly focused on protecting against infectious diseases, which are any type of pathology caused by the transmission of viruses, bacteria or fungi, which can pass from one person to another.

In the case of dentistry, biosafety is focused on procedures that must be followed within the dental office in order to ensure the health and safety of both the dentist and his assistants, as well as the patient - in addition to also protecting their families and people from living together, which may end up being affected by indirect contamination.

These procedures in dentistry involve immunization strategies and also the prevention of exposure of dentists, assistants and patients to infectious materials. Everything to ensure that dental care is not only efficient, but also safe for everyone!

The importance of biosafety in dental offices

The dental office is one of the common places that require the presence of procedures and care with health and biosafety. They are so important because the dentist's work environment is a place with a lot of potential for contamination.

The contamination comes from viruses and bacteria present in saliva, blood and respiratory secretions - and this can be in the mouth of a patient or in the hands of the dentist and his assistants. These pathogens can also be in equipment and even in the air, especially in droplets scattered by devices that generate aerosols.

The risk is further increased by the use of piercing or cutting equipment, which ends up putting the dentist in contact with the patient's blood. In addition, the close proximity between all those involved is inevitable for dental practice, which can also pose risks to biosafety.

This means that dental practice needs to focus on protecting the health of those involved, following the correct procedures and avoiding unprotected contact with any substance that can serve as a medium for viruses, fungi or bacteria.

Classification of clinic environments

To facilitate care with biosafety within your dental clinic, it is possible to separate their environments and classify them into three categories, according to the risk that each presents:

- Critical areas

Critical areas are those that have the most contact with the secretions that can cause disease. Generally, these are the places in the clinic where direct customer service takes place, such as the operating room and the service room itself. You can also include the sterilization sector, which has contact with the equipment used during the service. Other places that patients have access to, such as the bathroom and even the reception, can be considered critical areas and should receive constant cleaning and disinfection.

- Semi-critical areas

These are the spaces that have less contact with pathogens, or that are not accessed by patients, but that can still be contaminated. They are usually places where only authorized employees have access. This includes the laundry and the laboratory.

- Non-critical areas

These are places not intended for patient care, which they do not have access to and which do not have contact with pathogens. Include your office, kitchen or other spaces that may appear in your dental clinic.

Biosafety procedures for dentists

Now that we've talked about what biosafety is and the importance of paying close attention to it within your dental office, let's bring up what are the procedures that dentists and assistants need to use to ensure everyone's health.

These very important procedures follow the rules and rules of the profession. Through them, it is possible to greatly reduce the biological risks to which the dentist, his assistants and patients can be exposed.

Instruments’ general cleaning:

The hygiene of all instruments, equipment and of products used in dental care is essential to avoid cross-contamination between different patients.

Imagine that in one of your appointments the patient was a carrier of an infectious disease. This patient may be in an early stage of the disease, not having demonstrated his symptoms and, many times, ignoring that he has it.

If the sterilization and disinfection (two steps of cleaning) of the equipment are not satisfactory after this service, the next patient will be completely exposed to contamination by the same disease.

Hygiene also helps to avoid the chance of contamination through any type of pathogen that is in the environment.

This process includes some steps and concepts, such as:
- Asepsis: Actions that prevent a place or material from being contaminated;
- Anti-sepsis: Measures to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in a location (including living tissues);
- Cleaning: The most common action, which involves removing the most superficial dirt from an environment or equipment, before more thorough cleaning of the next steps:
- Disinfection: Removal and elimination of microorganisms that may be pathogenic in an object. It does not necessarily reach fungal spores.
- Sterilization: Deeper process, which eliminates all microorganisms.

Personal protective equipment’s (PPE) use:

PPE for dentists are items made especially to protect dental professionals from contact with microorganisms that can transmit diseases. They are considered basic to the activity.

They are indispensable dental equipment, because by using PPE you protect your own health and that of your patients.

The main PPE for dentists and assistants include:
- Disposable gloves;
- Safety glasses;
- Masks;
- Beanie;
- Coat;
- Closed shoes.

Each of these items protects the dental professional's body parts from contact with various types of infectious agents - whether from direct contact, through equipment not yet sterilized or through aerosols.

Sanitization of hands

It is very important to remember that the use of gloves does not dispense with hand hygiene; which must be washed before and after any patient care and also before and after wearing gloves (since they can contaminate them, or be contaminated by them). It is also essential to sanitize your hands immediately in the event that, by accident, your hand ends up touching agents without glove protection. This cleaning should not be done in the same space as the cleaning of the instruments. In addition, it is recommended to remove rings and any other adornments, in addition to keeping your nails short.

Immunization through vaccines

Dental professionals - like all health professionals - need to be up to date with vaccination to ensure their immunization against some of the main infectious diseases. Follow-up should be frequent, as there are vaccinations that need to be redone every year, while others are definitive. The main vaccines that are essential for the safety of the dental professional are those that immunize for the following diseases:
- Hepatitis B;
- Hepatitis A;
- Flu (influenza);
- Chickenpox;
- Tuberculosis;
- Tetanus;
- Diphtheria;
- Whooping cough;
- Rubella;
- Measles;
- Mumps.

Most people experience the immunization of some of these diseases in childhood. However, it is important to check and - if necessary - repeat doses to avoid any unnecessary risks to both the health of the professional and that of his patients.

Conclusion

The great mission of a dentist is to ensure health and oral hygiene, in addition to fulfilling the dream of a more beautiful smile and more well-being for his patients.

With due care with biosafety, following all the recommendations, you will ensure that your dental office continues to perform this mission profitably for a long time!

This is also part of the care and attention, which are the lifeblood of humanized care in dentistry: the right way to retain and to give the best possible care to your patients.

Source: Dental Office. Available at: https://www.dentaloffice.com.br/bioseguranca-odontologica-o-que-e-e-porque-prestar-atencao/. Access on: 06/01/2021.