Waterline Testing – A New Approach for Enhanced Safety and Compliance
Preston Ford, DDS, on combining the Sterisil® FASTCheck15™ In-Office Water Test Strip and mail-in R2A Waterline Test for dental water quality management
Maintaining clean and safe dental unit waterlines is essential to ensuring patient safety and regulatory compliance. Biofilm, which can be found even in well-maintained systems, poses a significant risk, and as a practicing dentist, I understand the importance of reliable and efficient waterline testing.
At our practice, we trust the mail-in R2A Waterline Test powered by DentiSafe-the only laboratory in dental water testing that is certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Using an EPA-certified laboratory underscores the reliability and accuracy of the results and gives us confidence that our water testing procedures are meeting the highest standards of safety and compliance.
Recently, our practice discovered Sterisil® FASTCheck15™, a new 15-minute in-office water test that requires no incubation or neutralizer and can be used to complement an established mail-in laboratory testing protocol. It reassures us about our waterline safety during the time in between R2A tests. FASTCheck15 impressed us with its user-friendly design that makes testing simple to perform and delivers easy-to-interpret results within 15 minutes. Its price point and rapid turnaround time are unmatched by other in-office water tests, so it is both an affordable and highly convenient option for our busy dental practice.
In a 2018 white paper on dental unit water quality published by the Association for Dental Safety (ADS), which was previously known as the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP), the agency supports the use of in-office tests for more frequent waterline monitoring. The use of such tests can help to ensure staff compliance with biofilm mitigation protocols and provide an early warning for biofilm control issues. Moreover, regular screening with FASTCheck15 helps practices comply with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for water quality, ensuring that any water used in routine dental treatments meets EPA standards for drinking water (microbials ≤ 500 CFU/ml).
Preston Ford, DDS
High Point Dental Partners
High Point, North Carolina
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. R2A is the EPA-accepted gold standard for dental unit waterline testing, and DentiSafe is the only EPA-certified laboratory in the dental space.
2. FASTCheck15 In-Office Waterline Test Strips deliver rapid results in just 15 minutes.
3. The easy-to-read strips allow any team member to easily perform the test and interpret the results.
4. In-office testing with FASTCheck15 enables more frequent monitoring of dental unit waterlines between R2A mail-in laboratory tests.
5. Regular testing can help practices comply with EPA standards and CDC recommendations for water quality.
Manufacturer Information
Sterisil (a Solmetex company)
solmetex.com
800-216-5505
