Infection control at heart of new Melbourne clinic

Setting up an entirely new practice and equipping it with the very best equipment was a carefully thought out decision for the new Celebrate White Dental Clinics in Richmond, Melbourne.

In addition to being seen as state of the art, principals Dr Maria Guida and Dr Robert Harper said they wanted to 'future proof' the business so it remained abreast of emerging trends well into the future.

Of paramount importance was the choice of infection control equipment to ensure the sterilization room was fully compliant with infection control guidelines - now and in the foreseeable future.

This led to the choice of A-dec's Preference ICC (Infection Control Centre) which includes a range of innovative features supporting the sterilization process, plus a slide out bench-mounted Class B Lisa Sterilizer.

Dr Guida explained that the equipment needed to support a sterilization 'system' where all instruments were handled and stored safely at all times.

"We went through the entire process of how a sterilisation room works and how it would best fit in our new practice. This involved anticipating how staff would come into the steri room with gloves on straight from the surgery."

Cross contamination of instruments is almost eliminated by following a logical workflow and having a place to store all instruments - whether dirty, being cleaned and after, packing and sterilisation.

"We thought: 'wouldn't it be good if staff didn't have to touch anything such as draws, taps and cupboards?' When we saw the A-dec ICC Preference on display at the Adelaide Dental Congress earlier this year, it had everything we were looking for and some things we hadn't even thought of," Dr Guida said.

Most striking of all are the clearly delineated 'clean' and 'dirty' areas highlighted by eye-catching red and blue lighting to signify contaminated and sterilized areas.

As Dr Harper explained: "The ICC is tremendously well built - it is a piece of medical equipment and a complete infection control 'system' - not just cabinetry."

Celebrate White Dental Clinics follows a strict hygiene protocol with all instruments bagged, dated and tracked back to each patient and (hygiene) procedure.

Dr Harper said that the weakness of any equipment was how it is utilised by staff, however, the workflow concept encapsulated in the Preference ICC cabinet and the coloured lighting helped make this unit virtually 'idiot proof'.

The ICC unit dominates the well-sized sterilisation room and holds pride of place in the clinic. "We not only wanted to have the best, but we also wanted to show our patients that our equipment is high tech and we care about infection control."