IDS 2013 - Surgery hygiene: More important and easier than ever before

The introduction of the quality management system in dental surgeries has just been completed, but legislators are now confronting dentists with a new set of regulations concerning matters such as the annual inspection of drinking water to determine if it contains Legionella bacteria.

The increasing legal requirements make it clear that surgery hygiene is and will remain a top priority, because violations can lead to fines, prosecution and - in the worst case - a surgery's closure. In view of the severe penalties involved, it is comforting to know that the dental industry is continuously developing new systems for helping dentists and their teams in the area of hygiene. In this connection, the market offers numerous solutions for all areas of the surgery. Manufacturers from all over the world will attend IDS 2013 in Cologne to present innovations that allow dentists to calmly prepare themselves for the introduction of new legal regulations and official inspections. The manufacturers will offer solutions for cleaning and disinfecting instruments and surfaces, checking water quality in treatment units, sterilizing medical products and disinfecting hands, as well as for implementing an effective quality management system.

Perfect cleanliness and thorough disinfection naturally have top priority in all areas of treatment, because the safety of the patients and the dental teams is at stake. The need to clean dental instruments properly is particularly obvious, since they come into direct contact with the patients. Microbes can contaminate not only drills and suction devices but also other equipment, trays and floors. Specific preparations are needed to treat such surfaces in order to ensure fast, safe and gentle disinfection. However, implementing all of the measures for creating a germ-free environment is just one consideration - it would be an additional success if the surgery's image can be improved in the process. For this purpose, individually usable perfume concentrates enable users to avoid the typical surgery smell and instead create a clean and fear-free environment in which patients and treatment teams feel comfortable.

In many cases ensuring instrument hygiene is particularly demanding, as the risks are assessed in a differentiated manner in accordance with the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute. However, new developments in this sector are, on the one hand, making it easier to treat instruments and, on the other, enabling users to integrate a modern system of documentation. Today's technical possibilities make it easier than ever before to meet the requirements of a sophisticated quality management system. For example, the latest generation of thermo-sterilizers and autoclaves have interfaces that make the introduction of an online documentation system a breeze. As a result, irksome paperwork can be dispensed with.

The successful implementation of a quality management system requires that the needs of each individual case be taken into account, because different surgeries have different objectives and thus have to handle different processes. That's why the dental industry offers special software that takes this fact into account and flexibly adapts itself to the user's needs. The manufacturers are offering additional support through training and coaching sessions that are conveniently held in the dentist's own surgery and teach all the team members the skills they need. This not only establishes a quality management system that meets the legal requirements but also ensures proper hygiene.

The International Dental Show (IDS) is a must for anyone who is looking for a comprehensive overview of the current state of surgery hygiene and quality management. Dentists and surgery staff can optimally obtain information and comprehensive advice from expert manufacturers during the show, which runs from 12th to 16th March 2013.

"Trade visitors from surgeries and laboratories will have a unique opportunity during the International Dental Show, the world's largest trade fair for dental medicine and dental technology, in Cologne from 12th to 16th March 2013. Here they can hold discussions with specialists from the exhibiting companies and experienced users in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the whole range of state-of-the-art measures for preventing infection and for the quick implementation of current legal requirements. Quality management, in particular, is not just a matter of annoying bureaucracy; on the contrary, it opens up an opportunity to steadily improve all of the processes of a dental surgery's daily operations," says Dr. Markus Heibach, Executive Director of the VDDI.

IDS - the International Dental Show, which takes place in Cologne every two years, is organized by the GFDI/Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Dental-Industrie mbH (Society for the Promotion of the Dental Industry), the commercial enterprise of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI). The trade fair is staged by Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne.