Scientists exploring infection control problems have been discovering an alarming amount of evidence regarding the safety of the water that is sprayed into the mouth from dental instruments.

A recent study documented in the Journal of the American Dental Association concluded that "Microbial contamination of dental unit water appears widespread and the organisms populating the water lines include many with pathogenic potential which can cause serious illness and death, especially when the immune systems are down".

Among the recent findings: standard microbial culture techniques, as well as new analytical techniques, have revealed extraordinary numbers of a wide variety of waterborne "opportunistic" pathogens. These bacteria are quick to take advantage when the immune system defenses are low, with immuno-compromised patients especially at risk. The bacteria found in dental water lines may cause significant infection in these individuals.

Cystic fibrosis, which occurs in one in 3500 Caucasian births, results in chronic pulmonary disease. Death is most often the result of respiratory failure, typically after many episodes of lung infection. The most common cause of these infections is pseudomonas, which are the dominant bacteria found in dental spray water. Legionella, the bacteria which cause Legionnaires' disease, are present in dangerously high concentrations in the majority of dental chairs. A prominent California dentist recently died of Legionella; the strain of bacteria found in his lungs was present in high concentrations in his office dental water lines.

The Center For Disease Control has implicated Legionella bacteria as a major complication for people with AIDS. In addition to the well-publicized immune system problems encountered by HIV and AIDS patients, other at-risk elements of the population include individuals with cystic fibrosis, , diabetes, asthma, sickle-cell anemia, those receiving chemotherapy, recreational drug users, transplant patients, heavy antibiotic users and the elderly.

The source of these maverick bacteria which inhabit the dental unit water lines is two fold. First, research indicates that the majority of the organisms originate in the municipal water system. Conventional municipal water treatment procedures are proving inadequate in dealing with a wide variety of these "super bugs".

The tiny dental water lines provide a large interior surface area combined with low flow rates and stagnation, two ideal conditions for the formation of a thin slime of microbes called "biofilm" on the interior surfaces of the dental lines.

We supply the dental surgeries with special , high quality, reliable units that remove up the impurities from mains water and provide deionized and microbiologically safe water! For dental surgeries (HDRO series), provided perfectly clean water, free of salts to prevent crust creation inside the machine and onto the sterile instruments, while the water is microbiologically tested simultaneously safeguarding the health of dental patients.