Do a better job washing hands, dentists told
Date: Oct. 26, 1999
Time: 2:36 pm
Many Ontario dentists appear to be using their latex gloves as a substitute for handwashing, the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association reports. In a study involving more than 4000 respondents from across Canada, Dr. Gillian McCarthy and colleagues from the University of Western Ontario found that handwashing immediately before seeing a patient ranged from a high of 84% in Prince Edward Island to a low of 40% in the Yukon. Handwashing after degloving ranged from a high of 74% in the Northwest Territories and PEI to a low of 30% in the Yukon. In Ontario, the comparable rates were 74% and 62%. Canadian Dental Association guidelines indicate that all dentists should wash with a germicidal soap before and after using latex gloves.
McCarthy and her colleagues report that handwashing is a crucial step in the prevention of cross-infection in dental practices. "Even if gloves are worn, hands may become contaminated as a result of punctures or when gloves are removed," they wrote. "Some respondents appeared to use gloves as a substitute for handwashing."
They suggest that continuing education may be needed to improve handwashing compliance among the country's 16 478 dentists.
In other areas of infection control, the news was better. More than 90% of dentists are immunized against hepatitis B in every province but Manitoba and Newfoundland. The authors concluded that most dentists do not use the full range of infection control procedures needed to minimize the risk of cross-infection. "With today's increasing concerns about the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, such as the hepatitis viruses and HIB, and the rise in drug-resistant micro-organisms, compliance with recommended infection control must improve," the authors concluded.
-- Patrick Sullivan, Ottawa
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