Sterisil
Sterisil Straw Dental Waterline Treatment System
Sterisil Straw provides continuous disinfection of dental unit waterlines for 365 days.
The manufacturer recommends using Sterisil Straw, which has FDA clearance, with distilled water. However, tap water also can be used as long as it is good quality. If you are unsure of your water quality, Sterisil recommends having it tested, a service they provide. Sterisil Straw works with any size water bottle, and it is the only product to include an automatic shock treatment upon initial use.
The Dental Product Shopper evaluators used Sterisil Straw in their practices for about 4 weeks and rated it on ease of installation, time savings, elimination of steps, and customer service.
Ease of Installation
Manufacturer Description: Sterisil Straw is installed by first removing the existing pickup tube and then attaching the new pickup tube with the Sterisil Straw to the barb fitting. Sterisil recommends using distilled or purified municipal water for the best product performance and dental composite bonding.
Evaluator Feedback: When asked about the importance of ease of installation when purchasing a waterline purification system, 9 evaluators said it is important or very important.
When asked specifically about Sterisil, an evaluator from Oakland, CA, said, "Once installed, there is very little to do." Eight evaluators rated Sterisil's ease of installation as excellent or very good.
Time Savings
Manufacturer Description: The Sterisil Straw and Antimicrobial Bottle allow a practice to transition from daily tablets to a single yearly change out. The Sterisil Straw works 365 days to continuously disinfect dental unit waterlines.
Evaluator Feedback: Nine of the 10 evaluators said that time savings is important or very important to them when considering the purchase of a waterline disinfecting system. This same number rated the time they saved while using the Sterisil Straw in their practices for the 4-week evaluation as excellent or very good.
Elimination of Steps
Manufacturer Description: The Sterisil Straw is designed to eliminate the need to empty bottles, purge, and air dry the lines every night.
Evaluator Feedback: Nine evaluators rated the elimination of the typical daily steps associated with this type of product as excellent or very good. One evaluator noted that the Sterisil Straw is "maintenance free set and forget."
Customer Service
Manufacturer Description: Sterisil provides customer and technical support both online and via phone. In addition, the company provides a Frequently Asked Questions section on their website as well as videos detailing installation and use.
Evaluator Feedback: Four of the evaluators did not need to access customer service during the evaluation period so they did not rate this item.The remaining 6 evaluators rated customer service as excellent, very good, or good. One evaluator said that he encountered a problem when using tap water. When he spoke to the Sterisil president, "he was very understanding and helpful." This same evaluator went on to rate all of the evaluation items as excellent.
Overall Satisfaction
Eight evaluators said they would definitely or probably purchase the Sterisil Straw in the future and recommend it to colleagues. Seven evaluators said they found it to be much or somewhat better to similar products. When asked to give their overall satisfaction rating for the Sterisil Straw, 2 rated it as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, 3 rated it as good, and 2 rated it as fair. One evaluator summed up his evaluation by saying, "The simplicity, speed, and ease of use of this product are great!" Another evaluator said, "Wonderful; one less thing to worry about."
