Colonization of Dental Unit Waterlines by Helicobacter pylori: Risk of Exposure in Dental Practices

Monica Giacomuzzi, Carla M. Zotti and Savina Ditommaso
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Monica Giacomuzzi: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Turin, Italy
Carla M. Zotti: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Turin, Italy
Savina Ditommaso: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Turin, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-7

Abstract: Dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) can be considered one of the possible routes of H. pylori transmission, although its presence in DUWLs has not yet been investigated thoroughly. The present study aimed to discover the prevalence of H. pylori and oral streptococci ( S. oralis and S. mutans ) in DUWLs to evaluate the risk of exposure to human pathogens in dental practices. We collected the output water from 60 dental chair units (DCUs) in 26 private dentistry settings in Turin, searching for H. pylori and oral streptococci (OS) DNA, with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. At the same time, dentists completed a questionnaire about their DCUs, their main activities, the presence of anti-retraction devices, their attitudes about disinfection, etc. No dental chair unit tested was contaminated with H. pylori or S. mutans ; only one dental chair was contaminated with S. oralis (1.7%). Considering the results, we can state that: (i) the lack of H. pylori DNA in water samples analyzed, suggests that municipal water is presumably treated with a sufficient chlorine level to inactivate DNA over time; (ii) the aspiration of oral fluids is limited by anti-retraction valves fitted distally to hand pieces; (iii) propidium monoazide qPCR (PMA-qPCR) could be a good technique to investigate and monitor potential environmental sources of infections such as DUWLs.

Keywords: dentistry; dental unit; infection control; cross-infection contamination; Helicobacter pylori; streptococci (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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