Guarding your dental practice against harmful pathogens requires a combination of solid intra-office infection control protocols and the right tools for the job. While cleaning and disinfecting surfaces is undeniably essential to infection control in the workplace, protective barriers can provide a literal extra layer of protection. Barriers are particularly useful when a surface is susceptible to damage by disinfectants or difficult to clean thoroughly. In such cases, barriers work to supplement cleaning and keep infection at bay.
Barriers offer a number of distinct benefits including their efficiency and environmental impact. Surfaces usually need cleaning and disinfecting after every patient, a process which can take up to ten minutes each time. With barriers in place, you can simply discard the used barrier and replace it with a new one after each patient visit. This approach limits surface cleaning and disinfecting to a once-a-day task provided the barrier is not damaged or the surface noticeably contaminated. There has also been growing concern over the use of harsh disinfectant chemicals and their effect on the environment. As an alternative or supplementary method of infection control, barriers help reduce the use of these agents, making your practice more environmentally responsible.
Available in an assortment of sizes and shapes, protective barriers are also useful for their versatility. Steri-Shield®, a trusted manufacturer of superior infection control products, offers high-quality barriers for many common pieces of dental equipment and surfaces. Steri-Shield T-Bar Barriers™ fit virtually all dental lamp handles while extra-large C-Bar Barriers™ fit a wide variety of closed and unusual shaped dental lamp handles, doorknobs and tray handles. Both C- and T-Bar Barriers are easy-to-use, elastic and come in blue natural rubber latex and green nitrile. For everyday dental practice items, roll-on, Multi-Use Barriers™ are also available. These blue, natural rubber latex barriers can cover writing pens, switches, scalers, composite tubes, bite blocks and much more.
Steri-Shield also offers barriers for curing and radiological devices. Curelastic™ works on all curing lights and lasers, providing a snug, latex-free, translucent barrier that allows over 95% light transmission. These elastomeric synthetic polymer barriers come in large and small sizes and have 600% elasticity to fit curing guides ranging from 8mm to 13mm. Snug, easy-on/off R.S. Barriers™ likewise are designed to fit all popular radiological sensors. Available in green non-latex and blue natural rubber latex, R.S. barriers provide comfortable, effective infection control for patients while protecting your equipment from corrosive wipes and sterilizing solutions.
To learn more about how Steri-Shield infection control barriers can protect your practice and request free product samples, visit their website.
