While March seems like a different lifetime, the impact of COVID-19 dental office shutdowns remains heavy on our day-to-day work in the dental industry. And though many of us have adapted to some new state of "normal", infection prevention in dentistry is not the same.

Dental waterlines are extremely susceptible to bacterial contamination. Why that’s the case is another conversation altogether, but because of that, they must be treated consistently and effectively.

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding California's recent legislation concerning dental water. This post is going to clear that up once and for all. 

(Updated June 19, 2019)

In 2016, a dental unit waterline contamination at a pediatric practice in Anaheim, California led to mycobacterium abscessus infections in at least 71 children.

If you haven't read the new OSAP white paper and recommendations on Dental Unit Water Quality, you’ve probably heard about it. 

Last year at the Annual Conference hosted by the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP), there was a Q & A with a handful of the leading dental infection control experts, including Shannon Mills, DDS and John A. Molinari, PhD. One of the first questions asked of the panel was "What[...]

With dental unit waterline safety being a bit of a hot topic right now, let's get you off to a great start.

Developing a dental waterline treatment protocol (or procedure or strategy) isn’t difficult. Developing one that works, however, can be. There’s a lot of confusion out there about what works and what’s necessary.

[Edited February 25, 2019]

For the most accurate and up-to-date information on California water legislation, click here.

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In September 2015 the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report titled “Infection control policies and procedures” outlining protocols to ensure water[...]

“When people go to the dentist, they generally expect to leave in better health than when they walked in.”