Microbial contamination of dental unit waterlines: current preventive measures and emerging options

Various approaches to prevention and control of microbial contamination of dental unit water are evolving. Currently available methods and emerging technologies are reviewed here in the context of contemporary federal regulatory and advisory agency positions on water quality in the dental operatory. Clean water systems, fully autoclavable systems, and a variety of devices designed to provide physical barriers to the influx and accumulation of microbial contaminants can all be used to assure satisfactory quality for coolant and irrigant water. There is one important proviso: all require a commitment to maintenance if they are to be deployed successfully. Stricter adherence to American Dental Association/American National Standards Institute standards in manufacturing and production and compliance with federal regulatory marketing procedures for equipment and devices would do much to advance the cause of dental unit water quality control.