Environmental Factors, Waste Management, and Safety in Dental Practice

This assignment comprehensively addresses key aspects of dental practice management, focusing on environmental factors, equipment maintenance, waste disposal, and safety protocols. It begins by outlining the importance of adjusting environmental factors like heating, lighting, and ventilation during treatments to ensure patient comfort and minimize risks. The assignment then details the procedures for maintaining dental equipment according to manufacturer's instructions, including aspirators, waterlines, and autoclaves, emphasizing the reasons for these practices. It provides a table for reporting equipment failures and maintaining service records. Furthermore, the document covers pre-cleaning instruments before sterilization, proper instrument placement, and autoclave testing methods. The assignment also classifies different types of dental waste, discusses the dangers of incorrect disposal, and offers detailed actions to take in response to various spillages, including mercury and body fluids. Finally, it outlines reporting procedures for sharp injuries, damaged instruments, accidents, and contaminated equipment, alongside guidelines for general equipment cleaning, sterilization, and personal hygiene standards for dental staff. The assignment provides a comprehensive overview of essential practices in a dental environment.

Dental

Table of Contents
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Reasons to adjust environmental factors during treatment...................................................1
1.2 Process and reasons to maintain equipments with manufacturer’s instructions...................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Complete the table:...............................................................................................................2
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................3
3.1 Reasons for per-cleaning instruments prior to sterilisation with risk, correct action and
long term effect...........................................................................................................................3
3.2 Reasons for placing instruments and hand pieces in correct locations to different stages of
sterilisation..................................................................................................................................3
3.3 Methods of testing autoclaves...............................................................................................4
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................4
4.1 Type of wastages...................................................................................................................4
4.2 Dangers of not disposing of waste correctly.........................................................................4
4.3 Actions to take in response to given spillages:-....................................................................4
a) Mercury spillage from an amalgam capsule...........................................................................4
b) Body fluids from a patient who was sick in surgery after impressions..................................4
c) Chemical spillage when diluting ultrasonic bath cleaning solution........................................5
d) Water.......................................................................................................................................5
TASK 5............................................................................................................................................5
5.1 Way to report the following:.................................................................................................5
a) Sharp injury.............................................................................................................................5
b) Damaged instruments.............................................................................................................5
c) Accidents.................................................................................................................................5
d) Contaminated equipments.......................................................................................................5

e) Damaged sterile supplies........................................................................................................5
5.2 Procedure and equipment needed for:...................................................................................5
a) General equipment cleaning....................................................................................................5
b) Sterilisation equipment...........................................................................................................6
5.3 Presentation in terms of personal hygiene............................................................................6

TASK 1
1.1 Reasons to adjust environmental factors during treatment
Environmental factors mainly include biotic or abiotic components, which influences
living organisms. Here, biotic components consists temperature and amount of light. While
abiotic as presence of predators, parasites and more. Therefore, during treatments, it is essential
for dental care association to concern on these environmental factors for influencing the decision
and satisfaction level of service users.
Factors Reasons to make adjustment during
treatment
Heating As thermal irritation might damage pulp tissue
therefore, it is essential to make adjustment in
heating during dental treatment
Lighting For visual performance or to minimise risk of
strain, it is essential to design proper lighting
effect because dentists have to adjust their
vision of cope as per light condition. This
would cause eye strain, headache and
environmental stress. Therefore, to reduce this
strain, it is beneficial to make proper lighting
set-up.
Ventilation and Humidity Prevent hospital premises from moisture and
spread of infections disease. Humidity can
cause electrostatic shock therefore, it is
essential to adjust humidity between 40% to
70%. While to remove and dilute impurities,
odours and dissipate excess heat, proper
ventilation is also necessary under dental
association.
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1.2 Process and reasons to maintain equipments with manufacturer’s instructions
When equipments and medical tools are allocated to a department, it is primarily
responsibility of clinical staff to analyse the way they treat them as well as state under which the
same is leftover after treatment. In addition to these responsibilities, they also responsible for
performance checks before use and routine maintenance by ensuring charging batteries and
more. Clinical staff also needs to aware manager and high authorities for any problem related
with device or piece of equipment, without making any delay. They should ensure that damaged
equipments should not be used until they are repaired and fully tested as safe. As failure of any
equipment during treatment leads to cause consequences, for well-being of patients. Therefore, it
is essential for maintaining medical equipments in proper manner, which helps in alleviating
possibility of sudden incidents and extend life of equipments also. In this regard, procedure for
maintaining some equipments under healthcare sectors are-
Aspirator: This tool is used to remove saliva, pus, blood and more, from oral cavities. To
maintain it, always keep the tip in upright position before and after turning the aspiration off.
Waterlines: In order to maintain dental unit water quality at less than or equal to 500 cfu/ml
heterotrophic water bacteria, dental board needs to purge devices and waterlines flushed with air
or water, for at least two minutes.
Water storage equipment: Some dental equipments are directly connected with water system
for treatment. It includes automated endoscope re-processor (AER), which may use
contaminated water during medical procedures. Because certain microbes from water may
contaminate equipments that cause nosocomial infection. Therefore, it is highly important to
clean, disinfect as well as maintain such equipments as per manufacturer’s instructions. To rinse
such object, use water of highest quality such as sterile or bacteriology-filtered water.
TASK 2
2.1 Complete the table:
Equipment Action if equipment
failure
Report to What records should
be kept on servicing
and Why
Dental chair Replace it from
premises
Authorised person While servicing or
repairing, it is essential
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to concern on proper
maintenance.
Engineers should be
certified.
Aspirator Purchase or repair
tools as soon as
possible
Authorised persons Replace damaged or
defective components
Hand pieces Purchase new one Seniors Use and check before
treatment procedures
Ultrasonic scaler Immediate respond
and give reports
Highly authorised
persons
Any damage in this
tool may leads to
damage teeth so
special concern is
necessary during
servicing
X-ray machine Plug off the key and
inform seniors
Highly authorised
persons
Routine tests should
be carried out
X-ray processing
equipment
Stop the procedures of
treatment and off
system immediately
Highly authorised
persons
Checked properly
before use
Autoclave Make records of
servicing, inspection
and user validation
checks
Engineers Replacement of
components which are
defective
Instrument washer Repair it under vision
of authorised persons
Managers Service include repair
and preventive
maintenance
Ultrasonic bath Check is validation
period and mark it for
Highly authorised Replaced all parts with
original manufacturer
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repair persons parts as well as backed
up with guarantees.
TASK 3
3.1 Reasons for per-cleaning instruments prior to sterilisation with risk, correct action and long
term effect
Cleaning process involves removal of debris from equipments therefore, it is
essential for pre-cleaning instruments, before sterilisation. If such procedure i.e. debris (organic
or inorganic) doesn't removed before sterilisation, then it will lead to microbial inactivation.
Properly checking and wearing the appropriate protective gloves and equipments during
sterilisation and cleaning procedures, helps to keep personal hygiene, especially in case of
damaged instrument. Here, using damaged or pre-used sterile goods have potentially long term
effects. It includes damage of internal links, infection blooding and conical issues which may
affect directly the human body.
3.2 Reasons for placing instruments and hand pieces in correct locations to different stages of
sterilisation
For managing and maintaining the entire aspiration equipments, it is essential for
concerning towards maintenance of hand pieces and other equipments. They should place in
correct place especially during stages of sterilisation because every stage has either direct or
indirect impact on results or outcomes.
3.3 Methods of testing autoclaves
Autoclaves refers to a routine method which involves techniques for sterilising medical
equipments. Different methods can used for testing autoclaves such as laboratory, washer
equipment, run testing and more. Dental associations must sterilise spore test under certain
autoclave condition.
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TASK 4
4.1 Type of wastages
In dental association, different types of wastages include- Domestic and Municipal waste
(cleaning of floor and wash-rooms); Clinical or Hazardous waste, Mercury-containing; gloves,
face-masks, amalgam fillings and more. It can be classified as:
Hazardous waste Non-hazardous waste Special waste
Alcohol wipes, Amalgam
(including in extracted teeth),
Tissues, Lead foil, Sharps
Used gloves, Face masks,
Cotton wool rolls, Gauze,
Napkins
Damaged instruments,
Mouthwash beakers,
Medicines, Stock packaging
4.2 Dangers of not disposing of waste correctly
Hazardous and non-hazardous wastages under dental association should be properly
managed. As it is the main crucial issue for improving and maintaining ecosystem and human
health. If they are not disposed properly then it contributes to generate amount of pollutants in
environment. It also includes cross-infection risk, deadly infections like hepatitis, HIV and more.
4.3 Actions to take in response to given spillages:-
a) Mercury spillage from an amalgam capsule
Use scoop for collecting the amalgam or mercury-waste. If there are mercury droplets
then use syringe for picking up then place this syringe in waste container box.
b) Body fluids from a patient who was sick in surgery after impressions
Inform staff members, patients and other persons about immediate vicinity, locate spill
kit, remove mobile equipments which are unaffected and notified the registered manager.
c) Chemical spillage when diluting ultrasonic bath cleaning solution
Use sulphur powder and rubber gloves for preventing from chemical effect. Dental
association needs to use zipper-shut plastic bags for chemical spillage, when diluting with
ultrasonic bath cleaning solution.
d) Water
For managing spillage of water, wipe surface of floors and contaminated water as soon as
possible, for reducing possibility of accidents.
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TASK 5
5.1 Way to report the following:
a) Sharp injury
In case of sharp injuries during sterilisation of equipments, immediate report to seniors.
b) Damaged instruments
Inform managers for damaged instruments to be repaired soon for other treatment
procedures.
c) Accidents
In case of any accident happen while using equipments or chemicals, inform upper level
of management.
d) Contaminated equipments
Inform doctors to do not uses equipments which are highly or less contaminated for
treatment.
e) Damaged sterile supplies
Inform authorities or managers to concern on damaged sterile supplies for improving
efficiencies.
5.2 Procedure and equipment needed for:
a) General equipment cleaning
For general equipment cleaning, dental associations need to concern on building and
maintaining clean and hygiene environment. For example- lightening and humidity, that helps in
minimising residues from dust and liquid.
b) Sterilisation equipment
For sterilisation, proper ventilation management has to develop and extra care needs to
sterilise equipments.
5.3 Presentation in terms of personal hygiene
For personal hygiene, female doctors in dental association should tie-up their hair
properly. While male doctors or staff members should trim hair more precisely. Both male and
female staff or other service providers, must trim their nails, do not wear any jewellery during
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treatment procedure, wear water-resistant and comfortable footwear. Along with this, their
uniform must be cleaned properly on daily basis and must carry hand washing sterilisers, for
preventing themselves from bacteria or other infections.
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