摘要：The aim of the study was to determine the
degree of contamination of the water in the dental unit and the risk of
pathogens transmission on this route, in Iaşi dental practices in 2006. The
water supply in dental units through oral rinses, air/water syringes, ultrasonic
scalers, and high or low-speed hand pieces may be heavily contaminatedwith microorganisms that present potential risks of
contaminationfor both medical team
and patients. The microorganisms
detected in Dental Unit Water System (DUWS) are mainly bacteria, but some
protozoa and fungi may also be found. Materials and methods. A total of 93
water samples were collected of which 67 from the DUWS, in four distribution
points. Contamination was determined using bacteriological indicators: Total Number of
mesophilic Germs (TNG/ml) growing at 370C, coliform bacteria (CFU/100 ml), Escherichia coli (CFU/100 ml) and
enterococci (CFU/100 ml) . Results. The values for TNG/ml
exceeded European Union drinkingwater guidelines i n 52.5% of DUWS water samples.
Coliform bacteria were present in 30.3% of the samples collected from DUWS. E.
coli was detected in
one air-water syringe sample. Conclusions. The pathogenicity and
metabolism of the biofilm in the DUWS, insufficiently evaluated till now,
require further studies in this field in view of elaborating effective
strategies for water supply quality control aiming the decrease of the risk for
microorganisms transmission on this route.
关键词：contamination, biofilm, Dental Unit Water System,
infection control
