May 11, 2020 Infection-Free Dentistry With UV-C
If you’re a dental or other healthcare professional, customers no doubt appreciate your use of personal protective equipment (PPE), routine equipment sterilization and easy-to-clean fabrics and furniture. There’s a definite reassurance when a healthcare professional opens a fresh set of latex gloves or instruments.
To truly protect your clients from infection, however, practitioners need to move beyond instrument sterilization and address the invisible risks in the surrounding air.
Infectious microbes collect and can proliferate within office air conditioning (AC) systems found in virtually every dental or heathcare office. The same heating and cooling systems designed to provide a comfortable environment for patients also serve to efficiently circulate microorganisms from one space to another, jeopardizing many of the infection-control systems and hygienic procedures designed to prevent cross-contamination.
An increasingly popular solution to halt the spread of infection in healthcare offices is Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI). Used for decades in hospitals, pharmaceuticals and laboratories to kill bacteria, mold and viruses, the 254-nm germicidal wavelength (UV-C) can destroy virtually all microorganisms, including dangerous superbugs.
There are two primary means of applying UV-C systems to disinfect surfaces and airstreams:
UV-C upper air systems interrupt the transmission of airborne infectious diseases in patient care areas, waiting rooms and other known microbial pathways. Operating 24 hours a day, upper-air systems inactivate exposed microbes in under a second, and these units have been shown to be effective against airborne viruses and bacteria, including chickenpox, measles, mumps, varicella, TB and cold viruses.
UV-C when used in HVAC systems kills microbes that would otherwise degrade system performance while reducing the amount and pressurization capability of air supplied to conditioned spaces.
UV Resources offers a full arsenal of infection-fighting UV-C equipment for both upper air and HVAC applications. Learn more about how UV-C technology disinfects air streams, cuts energy consumption, boosts performance and reduces maintenance.
To request a copy of an informational article on specific UV-C solutions for dental and other medical offices, please contact us at (877) 884‑4822 or visit uvresources.com.