When it comes to Hygiene & Infection control, there is no room for negligence or taking things lightly. As Australians unite to fight the COVID-19 pandemic together, this message is perhaps more important than ever.
At Melbourne Dentist Clinic, we are committed not only to improve your dental health and wellbeing, your overall health and safety also matters greatly to us.
Your health and safety – along with that of our dentists and staff members – remains the highest priority for us. We will take every precaution to make sure that you are well protected from the threat of infection at all times.
Fulfilling our role as a responsible dental healthcare provider, Melbourne Dentist Clinic follows the prevailing COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the relevant authorities, including those of: The Australian Government; Australian Dental Association; and Dental Health Services Victoria.
Beyond these regulations and recommendations, we have also taken it upon ourselves to enhance the Infection & Hygiene Control measures practiced in our clinic.
The following Infection & Hygiene Control protocols include both pre-existing as well as newly enhanced measures.
UV Disinfection – NEW
UV Disinfection light (UVC) has been used in disinfecting drinking water, air, waste water, pharmaceutical products, and surfaces against a wide range of human pathogens – including antimicrobial superbugs.
We have installed a brand new UV Disinfection unit as part of a multibarrier approach to minimise the risk of viruses, including COVID-19. This enhances the existing cleaning and disinfection regimes already in place at the clinic, to help eradicate any lingering contamination.
The germ-killing UV light has provided hospitals, nursing homes and other critical care environments with the assurance that dangerous pathogens are adequately destroyed before the next patient occupies the room.
In addition, our state-of-the-art disinfection unit also comes with an Ozone steriliser, which is a powerful and natural purifier. The anti-microbial properties of ozone provides a powerful sanitising effect capable of killing 99.7% of hundreds of types of pathogenic organisms – including bacteria and fungi.
Together, UV and Ozone sterilisation gives you maximum protection against germs within a clean and healthy environment.
Air Refreshening – NEW
The quality of the air you breathe is critical to your overall health and wellbeing. That’s why we have installed a new Air Purifier to help remove harmful gases, bacteria, viruses, and ultrafine particles in the air to keep a clean and fresh environment in our clinical and non-clinical rooms.
Our medical-grade purifier can catch particles as small as 0.3 micrometres with 99.97% efficiency, which covers most airborne toxins and allergens.
Equipped with a HEPA filter, the purifier can capture fine particles far smaller than smoke. It also has a pre-filter to catch larger particles and volatile organic compounds before filtering finer particles through the HEPA filter.
Screening process – NEW
We have a phone screening process through which we assess the risk of patients to COVID-19: Those who presently have the virus; those who are at high risk of contracting it; those presently being quarantined; and those who have been in close proximity with someone who has COVID-19.
Through this screening process, we will try to limit the possibility of a person presented with such risks from visiting the clinic, thereby minimising infection risks to our staff and patients.
We have also installed an internal monitoring process whereby our dental team members are being checked for any infectious symptoms and to make sure they have not been in recent contact with someone who has them.
These processes are based on best practice screening techniques adopted by established international healthcare facilities.
Protective gear
Professional protective equipment like face masks, gloves, aprons and gowns are not only critical for the safety of all our healthcare providers, they also protect you, the patient.
PPEs serve as the primary barrier between the infection and the human body.
In line with our stringent single-use policy for disposables, all our disposable PPEs are disposed off safely. The ones that cannot be disposed, we will disnfect properly before using them again.
Training on infection control
To ensure that all our dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses and auxiliary staff are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to carry out their their duties in line with infection control and patient safety protocols, we organise periodic training sessions to keep them updated on the latest relevant information.
Sterilization and sanitation
In keeping with our clinic’s high standards for regular infection control, we have always ensured that a sterile and clean environment is maintained at all times. Such measures will continue to be adopted and closely monitored.
In addition, we have increased the frequency and intensity of sanitation, disinfection and sterilisation protocols. For example, our staff will use alcolhol wipes to sanitise and disinfect both clinical and non-clinical surfaces between patients.
All instruments and equipment will also have to sterilised accordingly using the same stringent measures.
To minimise the risk of infection associated with coming into contact with contaminated surfaces, we provide complimentary hand sanitisers and advise all patients to hand sanitise upon entering and leaving the premises.
Before starting their treatments, patients are also given a mouthwash with 0.1% H202 to further reduce the likelihood of any cross-infection.
Clear communication
We adopt an Open, Transparent and Clear Communication policy on all things pertaining to our Infection & Hygiene Control, which includes communicating our clinic’s most current status on COVID-19.
We believe that all dentists, staff and patients alike play a crucial role to keep the environment safe for everyone. As such it is vitally important that every one working in or visiting the clinic is kept informed of these Infection & Hygiene Control protocols, and to make it easy for everyone to follow them.
For patients, we regularly put up notices, announcements and signs (in multiple languages) to inform and educate them on how they can help to minimise infection risks – for them as well as others in the same environment.
This includes putting up the latest information on proper social distancing measures, hand sanitisation, etc.
We do understand that following these enhanced hygiene steps may be inconvenient for some. Of course, we also wish to remind all our patients that a little consideration from each and every one will go a long way in our fight against this pandemic.
That said, we are open to your views and suggestions on how we can do even better!
If you would like to make an appointment to discuss dentures at our Melbourne Dentist Clinic you can call us on (03) 9999 9703 to schedule an appointment at the Melbourne Dentist Clinic.
