Many of us get question from our customers about how to
properly clean and disinfect their pan-ceph or cone beam dental X-ray machine.
Many disinfectants can yellow or damage surfaces and sensitive machine
components.
How do you know what is safe to use but will still get the
job done? Here are our tips to keep your staff and patients safe by practicing
standard precaution and manufacturer-recommended disinfection protocols for
your dental X-ray machine.
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
Standard precautions also known as universal precautions, are practices used to control
infection. They are designed to protect dental professionals, their staff, and
their patients from disease exposure through blood and certain bodily fluids
such as saliva.
When you use standard precautions, you essentially presume that all human blood and saliva are known to be infectious. This means that everything you do to protect against cross-contamination is performed for all patients.
STEPS OF STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
FOR DENTAL X-RAY MACHINES
Wearing gloves is the best way to prevent contamination between a patient and dental staff member. All dentists and clinical team members should remove their disposable gloves and wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds between different patients. Put on new gloves in front of the patient, if possible, so they are aware of the steps you take to protect their health.
Any surface that might be touched by gloves, hands, or instruments that go into the mouth are clinical contact surfaces. For example: dental X-ray machine control panel, touch screens, exposure buttons, acquisition computer, patient positioning tools and lead apron. These are non-critical items because they are objects that might come in contact with saliva, blood, or intact skin, but not oral or mucous membranes.
The lead apron should be
cleaned, disinfected, and covered between patient uses. You may wish to store
the apron on a heavy coat hanger so that it can spin around for easier
cleaning. Spray it with a detergent that contains disinfectant, then wipe it
and cover it with a plastic garment bag. Avoid touching walls and other
surfaces with contaminated gloves.
To prevent cross-contamination, use barriers
to isolate equipment from direct contact. An effective barrier for countertops
and the X-ray control console is plastic wrap. Don’t forget to include the
exposure switch with plastic or a plastic bag when covering the X-ray control
console. Barriers should also cover working surfaces that were previously
cleaned and disinfected to protect the underlying surface from becoming
contaminated. If a barrier is damaged, it should be replaced immediately. All
barriers should be changed after each patient.
Extraoral dental X-ray machines such as panoramic, cephalometric, and cone beam systems, should use the same standard precautions for decontamination and disinfection as the other equipment in your practice. Be sure to switch the X-ray unit off before cleaning or disinfecting. Never apply sprays or liquids directly on the surfaces of the X-ray machine. Instead, apply a small amount of cleaner to a clean paper towel and use it to wipe the surface of the machine. Alternatively, you may use an alcohol-based wipe that is safe for electronics. We do not recommend any Cavicide products for dental X-ray machines because they are extremely corrosive and can cause irreparable damage to X-ray machine covers or electrical components.
Panoramic and/or CBCT
bite-blocks, chin rests, and patient hand grips should all be cleaned using
detergent-iodine disinfectant and then covered with plastic. To further prevent
contamination, you may wish to use disposable bite-blocks. The head positioning
guides, control panel, and exposure switch should be carefully wiped with a
paper towel that is well moistened with a non-corrosive disinfectant, or with
an alcohol-based wipe.
Cephalometric ear post, ear post brackets, and forehead
supports and/or nation pointers should all be cleaned and disinfected with an
iodine-detergent disinfectant. These devices should also be covered in plastic
for patient and changed after each use.
After all patient exposures are complete, the barriers should be removed and any contaminated surfaces should be re-disinfected. The lead apron should be sprayed with disinfectant and wiped as described above.
It’s important for the
entire community that infectious diseases are not spread. Healthcare
environments are a primary source of contamination but following standard
precautions allows us to minimize the spread of bacteria and viruses and keep
our staff, patients, and community safe and healthy.