OXNARD, CALIF. – In support of the upcoming National Children’s Dental Health Month and “Give Kids a Smile®” day on Feb. 1, 2013, DUX Dental has donated 575 boxes of Bib-Eze™ disposal bib holders to be used at free pediatric dental clinics held in the U.S. throughout February. The donation will provide 143,000 kids with a disposable bib holder during their clinical care, minimizing cross-contamination risks that come from the use of traditional bib holders.
Serving hundreds of thousands of children annually, the American Dental Association’s (ADA) “Give Kids a Smile” day is a program that helps children get the dental care they desperately need and raise awareness that children deserve a better health care system that addresses their dental health.
“We believe that as dental patients children need special attention and the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile program does that by providing free care for underserved children,” said Paul Porteous, CEO and President of DUX Dental. “Pediatric dental patients can also be more susceptible to dental cross contamination hazards and the Bib-Eze bib holders we donated to the program help minimize that risk be replacing traditional bib holders with a disposable option.”
A study released this year by researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in collaboration with researchers at the Forsyth Institute found that 20 to 30% of dental bib clips still harbor bacterial contaminants even after proper disinfection procedures. Before disinfection, metal and rubber-faced metal bib clips collected from an orthodontics clinic had 149% to 205% more bacteria, respectively, than clips collected from an endodontics clinic. The study authors speculate that orthodontic treatment may result in higher bacterial presence on clips since it involves entering and re-entering the mouth multiple times which could lead to more bacterial contamination from the practitioner’s gloves; or adolescent and teenage patients, common to orthodontics, may be more prone to touch and handle the bib clip during treatment. After disinfection, the bacterial counts on clips from both clinics were similarly reduced.
Commenting on the study Noel Kelsch, RDHAP, a national infection control columnist, Registered Dental Hygienist and former President of the California Dental Hygienists’ Association says, “Since orthodontic patients are usually kids, I was not surprised to see that before disinfection bib holders from orthodontic clinic had more germs on them. Because of their natural curiosity, I find that children like to touch all the gadgets and equipment in the dental and/or orthodontic office. While this helps them become comfortable in the setting, it is not ideal for maintaining the sterile environment of the office.”
“I use Bib-Eze disposal bib holders on all my patients because they are aseptic and can help reduce cross-contamination exposure for everyone, but especially pediatric patients who are often more susceptible to germs. Bib-Eze are also ideal for little patients because they are adjustable, have no sharp edges and are not cold on the neck,” said Kelsch.
For more information on the American Dental Association’s (ADA) “Give Kids a Smile” day and National Children’s Dental Health Month visit www.ada.org/givekidsasmile.