Do you know what’s lurking in your dental waterlines? Whether using tablets, liquid, or cartridges, dental practices typically follow a daily or weekly protocol to shock and clean their waterlines, a task that’s often time consuming and technique sensitive. But even after diligently following the protocol, how do you really know if your waterlines are free of bacteria and safe for patient care?
Dr. Kevin Anderson explains it perfectly by saying, “Especially in this post-pandemic world, we aim to keep things as contamination free as possible. Waterlines are something that we often assume to be clean because it’s just water, but this also requires some effort to keep clean.” With all the efforts clinicians take to ensure a procedure is free of contaminants—from rubber dams to antibacterial scrubs to air particle abrasion and surgical drapes— Dr. Anderson ponders, “When taking a step back, it seems like a moot point to put in all of these efforts when an overlooked waterline could end up compromising our clinical outcomes, doesn’t it?”
To assure a dental practice of its waterline safety and simplify the waterline maintenance process, Solmetex offers the Sterisil SMART Kit, a complete system that includes all necessary components— from shock to treatment to testing—to treat bottle-fed single operatory waterlines without daily maintenance. “The Sterisil SMART Kit provides a high level of sterility backed by waterline testing results in a manner that is relatively hands off compared to other methods,” explained Dr. Anderson.
Ease of Setup & Installation
One kit contains all the essentials to shock, clean, and test dental unit waterlines, with 1 kit designed for municipal water and another for distilled water sources. Comprised of 4 Citrisil shock tablets, 4 MyCheck in-office dental water tests, and 1 Sterisil Straw, the Sterisil SMART Kit provides 365 days of waterline treatment. No daily maintenance is required, which frees up clinicians to care for patients, and in-office tests provide feedback on the effectiveness of the treatment regimen.
Calling the Sterisil SMART Kit “easy to install with easy-to-follow instructions,” Dr. Kyaw Soe said the Straw is “quick and easy to do once a year” and appreciates that the “test kit is all ready to send.” Dr. Mark Taira praised the “ease of installation and use” and called it an “easy to use and effective system” that helps him “know whether or not our waterlines are clean.” Noting that it’s “easy to shock and obtain test results,” Dr. Alan Krause said, “Once you properly install and shock, you should be good. You just need to test quarterly.”
Time Savings & Convenience
“The biggest thing that made a difference on the practice was the daily and/or weekly time savings for the team,” said Dr. Anderson, who appreciates the once-a-year system. “While it might only save a few minutes per room each day, this adds up over the course of a week,” he explained. “It saves time by only installing once a year, and I don’t need to worry about water quality,” shared Dr. Soe. For Dr. Amir Noori Esfandiari, “It streamlines the water treatment process and eliminates the daily addition of tablets.”
“Inline water treatment provides stress-free water purification,” said Dr. Taira, though he would have liked “better support from the manufacturer’s rep regarding initial and final water quality findings.” Praising the ease of installation, Dr. Abraham Jaskiel suggested making the water testing process easier, and Dr. Anderson said the Citrisil instructions could include a warning that it can stain counters.
Reduction in Bacteria
When comparing before and after MyCheck water tests, the dental practices who participated in this review noticed significant reductions in bacteria levels. The Sterisil SMART Kit “provides data to evaluate the quality and microorganism count in the water,” shared Dr. Esfandiari. “It’s reassuring to know that we are delivering clean and microbe-free water through our dental units to our patients,” said Dr. Taira. Calling it “a good, reliable way to treat and test waterlines,” Dr. Krause mentioned, “It gives you peace of mind that the water supply is safe.” For Dr. Soe, “It prevents bacteria in the waterlines, so I can assure my patients that water quality is up to par.” With the Sterisil SMART Kit, Dr. Anderson decided, “What I appreciate most is having a high level of confidence in our waterlines being clean, even when there isn’t daily maintenance.”
Overall Satisfaction
The Sterisil SMART Kit “gives peace of mind while simultaneously freeing up team members’ time. When this time savings is translated to long-term comparisons of team salaries, the system more than pays for itself,” explained Dr. Anderson, who recently converted all of his operatories to the Sterisil SMART Kits. Also determined to “use the Sterisil SMART Kit in the future,” Dr. Soe said, “I will recommend it to all my colleagues.”
