enzymatic cleaners

All about enzymes

Enzymatic cleaners, commonly found in dental practices, are popular because of their ability to break down soils, stains, proteins and other debris with the use of natural enzymes. But have you ever wondered why they work so well? Here are some bitesize facts about enzymes and enzymatic cleaners you may not already know: Enzymes are…

The importance of testing and validation

Testing and validation of decontamination and sterilisation equipment is a vital aspect of every practice’s decontamination procedures and should be clearly laid down in their infection control policy. This equipment is at the forefront of the battle against protein residues and cross contamination, so ensuring it is operating according to manufacturers’ specifications is an important…

Keeping ahead of the decontamination game

Just as HTM 01-05 underpins decontamination within the dental environment, HTM 01-01 provides best practice guidance on the entire medical decontamination cycle, including reusable surgical instruments and medical devices used in acute care. Although HTM 01-01 does not strictly apply to dentistry, new guidance within it regarding protein detection methods used on surgical instruments will…

Beating the spread of winter infections

Did you know? According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, healthcare-acquired infections affect over 4 million patients a year across Europe and cost around €7 billion in additional healthcare and direct financial losses[1]. That is an eye-opening statistic, but what’s interesting is that scientists and governments point to hand hygiene as one…