Dental Unit Waterline Contamination: Causes, Concerns, and Control, 3rd edition

Course overview

This course offers a comprehensive overview of the problem of dental unit waterline contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates drinking water in the public water supply to ensure that the number of water organisms is kept at an acceptable level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the water emitted from dental handpieces and air/water syringes be the same quality as drinking water. Because of the extremely narrow dental unit waterline tubing through which patient treatment water is delivered, along with frequent periods of water stagnation, the inner surfaces of tubing provide a particularly favorable environment for the multiplication of microorganisms.