Prevention in Dentistry

 Prevention in dentistry:

As a definition, means that an action of keeping away from an event or act to happen. We can also define it as an action to stop ill health before it begins.

There are three types of prevention we can find, such as:

- Primary prevention

- Secondary prevention

- Tertiary prevention

Primary prevention: it means to take an action prior to a disease, which removes the possibility that a disease will even occur. it may be accomplished by measures designed to promote general health and well being or by specific protective measures.

Secondary prevention: it is defined as an action that stops the progress of a disease and to prevent its complications. The individual is required to change, either to take some new action, or to cease an established action, or both, in order to lower the levels of risk.

Tertiary prevention: it can be defined as all measures available to reduce or limit impairments and disabilities, minimizing suffering caused by existing departures from good health and to promote the patients irremediable conditions. Simply, we can say that the individual is aware of the disease, can see its effects and requires rehabilitates.

In case to prevent a disease, a dentist should have equipment standards for the preventive activities workplace, like:

+ Special room in a good natural and artificial lightning

+ Central water

+ Dental unit with an air gun, micro-motor and turbine hand-pieces

+ Saliva ejector and vacuum ejector

+ Special chairs for the dentist and assistant

+ Dental table

+ Sterile table tools

+ Cabinet for preventive drugs

+ Desk for paper work

If the dentist works in minimum equipment standards for preventive activities, the workplace has only the following:

-- Ordinary chairs for doctor and patient

-- Tray for tools

-- A portal light source and a reflector

-- Container with antiseptic

For the dentist himself should use something called for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is designed to protect the skin and the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth of dental health care provider from exposure to blood. This PPE includes:

Personal protective equipment

.. Gloves

.. Surgical masks

.. Protective eye-wear

.. Face shields

.. Protective clothing

It is not obligatory to have those PPE as a dentist, but it is very important that a dentist protects itself and the lover ones around from any diseases that a patient may have. When we say disease, we mean absolutely the transmitted diseases via blood, droplets and so on. And some examples of transmitted diseases, we can say Hepatitis C Virus or HCV (when the dentist does oral surgery).

It is very important that before performing the preventive process, the instruments that will be using should be sterilized and they can be generally sterilized by one of the following methods:

Dental instruments

1. Steam under pressure - gravity displacement or pre-vacuum sterilizer

2. dry heat - static air or forced air 

3. unsaturated chemical vapour

There are also another types of dental instruments called single-use disposable instruments such as prophylaxis cups and brushes, saliva ejectors and air/water syringes. These items are neither designed nor intended to be cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized for reuse.