Water and evacuation lines are important components in a dental unit. As such, it is essential that they be properly maintained to provide safe and quality dental care for patients. Mike Bromberg, Equipment Service Technician at Henry Schein, explains the basics about the maintenance of water and evacuation lines in this short video.
Key Messages
- Most dental units are manufactured with separate water bottle systems these days
- Having a separate water bottle which feeds into the dental unit allows practitioners to control the water supply and the temperature of the water being used
- A specific water tablet is added to each bottle to help lubricate the moving parts within the unit and to remove and inhibit biofilm accumulation in the unit
- All units should be flushed before starting the next day for at least 30 seconds
- Evacuation lines should be flushed at the end of the work day daily with a non-foaming product (speak to your sales rep) starting with the lines furthest from the compressor and working to those closest to the compressor
- Between patients, the lines may be flushed using water and a tiny amount of bleach
- The traps/filters of each unit should also be monitored and cleaned daily to remove an build-up of materials and replaced, as necessary.
Alberta regulations require
14.1. All waterlines must be purged at the beginning of each workday by flushing the lines thoroughly with water for a minimum of two minutes.
14.2. Waterlines must be purged for a minimum of twenty seconds after patient care.
14.4. Suction lines must be aspirated with water or disinfectant solution between patients to reduce likelihood of infectious material backflow.
14.5. Suction lines must be cleaned once a week with an enzymatic cleaner.