This dental water biofilm is an accumulation of dozens of types of microorganisms stacked and interwoven with each other in a cooperative ecosystem. Layer upon layer of these microbes grow on the inner surface of the dental water line until occasionally a “clump” breaks free and enters the patient’s mouth.

The second source is known as the “suck back” effect, caused by imperfect anti-retraction valves in dental instruments, thus permitting the withdrawal or “suck back” of blood, saliva and other materials from a patient’s mouth into the waterline. Research studies have identified a wide range of bacteria resident in the biofilm which originated in patient’s mouths.

The methodical sterilization of dental instruments between patients providing sterile instruments thus fails to prevent potential pathogens from flowing from the dental water lines through the newly cleaned instrument into the next patient’s mouth. Research studies have clearly shown that efforts to “flush” the water lines between patients are ineffective in removing the biofilm. In fact, flushing leads to incredibly fast re-growth rates due to new organisms and “food” being supplied to the biofilm during the flushing procedure.

Chemical rinses have also proven to be less than effective. Increasing chemical dosages to lethal levels for the biofilm endangers the patient as well as the dental care givers themselves, especially when residues of these chemicals may directly enter the bloodstream during certain invasive procedures.

Concern about the biofilm problem and the potential dangers of bacterial infections originating from municipal water systems has led some governments to mandate the use of sterile water for all dental surgical procedures. Considering total CFU measurements in randomly selected dental offices generally reach into the hundreds of thousands, and sometimes 1-3 million CFU/ml, this poses a potentially serious and formidable problem for all professionals involved in general dentistry.

In this situation, the dentist (oral surgeon) either purchases bulk distilled water or uses a small steam distiller to produce a couple of gallons of steam distilled water each day. The sterile distilled water is placed in a pressure vessel and then fed into the dental water lines during normal dental procedures. This process is designed to isolate the dental patient, water lines and dental instruments from the municipal water supply, and additional bacterial contamination from that direction.

Unfortunately, the use of sterile water by itself does not ensure a bacteria free dental water line. Studies have shown that even pressurized distilled water sources can be contaminated by suck back effects and other environmental(handling) activities.

The use of anolyte will solve the safety water general dentistry problem by incorporating a combined water purification(distillation) system with a water altering/structuring system which will provide a biocidal capability for all water used in the dental office waterlines leading to the patient. The target of bacteria free water can be met with a “free-standing” water treatment unit and without the use of any point-of-use(POU)filtration devices which are designed to remove all bacteria.