Laura Yates takes a closer look at Bioclear Daily
Laura Yates BSc CChem MRSC, Technical Manager Centre of Excellence – Chemistry
The problem of biofilm formation in dental unit water lines (DUWLs) has long been an issue in dentistry and something that every practice needs to tackle consistently in order maintain water quality as specified in local regulations (including HTM01-05). Dentisan has a range of waterline treatment products that eliminate, control and monitor the build-up of biofilm in DUWLs, when used regularly.
Following the success of original Bioclear, the development of Bioclear Daily began in 2017, with the aim of producing a continuous water treatment, designed to supplement the use of Bioclear, with both products working to control the amounts of planktonic bacteria in the waterline system and preventing biofilm formation.
Evidence-based technology
The formulation of Bioclear Daily is based on well-known technology that has been successfully used for decades in water disinfection. The active ingredients are present at low levels, which do not give rise to any safety concerns in patients or staff. As Bioclear Daily is CE marked as a Class I product, any claims about the product have to be substantiated and Dentisan gathered evidence to support the claims around the product’s efficacy.
Bioclear Daily was developed through a programme of laboratory testing to derive optimum performance and user safety, taking into account low toxicity, biocompatibility, efficacy, biofilm inhibition and material compatibility. Testing carried out at the Eastman Dental Institute confirmed Bioclear Daily does not affect bond strengths of compounds, so will not interfere with restorative dental treatments. In addition, third party testing to the state-of-the-art standard BS EN 16954 Dentistry-Test methods for dental unit waterline biofilm treatment, confirmed the product’s biofilm prevention efficacy.
Despite the complex development and testing process, the beauty of Bioclear Daily lies in its simplicity and ease of use. It is simply added to the dental chair’s water bottle at 1% concentration and works away in the background, without interfering with everyday routines.
By controlling the planktonic bacteria in the water system in the first instance, Bioclear creates conditions which make it difficult for biofilm to form. The continuous use of Bioclear Daily helps maintain water quality and finally, the last piece in the waterline puzzle comes in the form of regular Dip Slide testing of waterline samples.
Dentisan recommends sampling is performed on each chair/device on a quarterly basis to ensure water quality is maintained at acceptable levels. If a sample fails (ie. red dots appear on the dip slide) remedial action in the form of a purge of the waterline using Bioclear should be completed.
Third party expert assessment of dip slides is now available via Dentisan’s Clean Water Club. Membership of the Clean Water Club gives those responsible, peace of mind that testing is being carried out on a regular basis and assessed by Dentisan’s in-house chemists, with reports and certificates issued for surgeries that pass the qualifying criteria. A quarterly subscription also means practices never run out of waterline products, resulting in water quality that is compliant with
HTM 01-05 and other local guidance.
Practices can join Dentisan’s Clean Water Club at cwc.dentisan.co.uk
