Evaluation of environmental bacterial contamination and procedures to control cross infection in a sample of Italian dental surgeries

Objectives-To perform a pilot study on bacterial contamination in some dent al surgeries (n=51) in a local health unit in Brescia (Lombardy Region, Ita ly) and to evaluate the procedures to control cross infection used by the p ersonnel to reduce the risk of infection in dental practice. Methods-A survey was carried out by interviewing 133 dental personnel with a questionnaire on the procedures used to control infection. The autoclaves , chemical baths (chemiclaves), and ovens present in the surgeries were tes ted for sterilisation efficiency with a spore test, and already packed and sterilised instruments were randomly sampled and tested for sterility. Micr obial contamination of air, surface, and dental unit water samples were als o studied. Results-The dental personnel did not generally follow the principal procedu res for infection control: 30% of personnel were not vaccinated against hep atitis B virus, infected instruments were often not decontaminated, periodi c checks of autoclave efficiency were lacking, and the knowledge of disinfe ction mechanisms and procedures was incomplete. High bacteriological contam ination of water at dental surgeries was often found and total bacteriologi cal counts in air samples were high. Surface studies showed widespread bact erial contamination. Conclusions-On the basis of these results, an educational programme for the prevention of infective hazards has been prepared and carried out. The res ults of this pilot study will be used for planning a national survey.