Preventing Super Bugs

Preventing super bugs such as MRSA-Golden Staph (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), is a serious topic in the dental and medical industries. Dental and medical nurses may rarely know what blood disorders or pathogens and viruses a patient may have when they walk into the surgery.

Golden Staph can kill almost 20% of its carriers according to Peter Collington a physician and microbiologist at the Australian National University*. Last year there were more than 500 Golden Staph infections across 46 NSW hospitals.

Therefore, standards and precautions should be at the highest level at all times. Patients can have a transmissible infectious condition and in dentistry, saliva is considered a potentially infectious material that often contains blood, secretions and excretions.

The most common way (MRSA) super bugs can be transmitted are:

• via body fluid exposure
• broken skin, mucous membrane (coughing)
• and sharps injuries.

The best way to protect yourself from super bugs is by;

• wearing gloves, eyewear and quality uniforms.
• ensuring even ‘cough etiquette’ with patients and the surgery staff are monitored at all times.
• using products effective against MRSA e.g. Bevisto-Instrumental and BevistoCryl.

If a patient shows signs of an open abscess or red like lesions that look like an insect bite they can be covered with a dry paper towel and it should reduce the spread considerably.

So, protect yourself and be aware of your surroundings. It’s crucial to protect your well being and the safety of others. Preventing super bugs can be achieved by using Bevisto-Instrumental for your instruments and BevistoCryl for the dental chair and benches and gurney and surfaces within the medical surgery.