The Role of Dental Hygiene - Article Example

Despite the fact that washing is an important component of oral health education, a vast majority of people forget to wash their hands, probably because they take the repercussions of their negligence for granted. Owing to the sensitive nature of the female gender, credible research shows that females are highly likely to wash their hands as compared to their male counterparts.

Although dental workers have the professional and personal responsibility of washing their hands, they ought to encourage every other person to wash their hands, at least by invoking the thought of contracting an illness (Kelsch, 2013). The oral healthcare section is a critical department within any healthcare center. In this regard, maximum hygiene is crucial in this section, especially considering the fact that clinics have some instruments that are predisposed to germs. Under ordinary circumstances, people touch such medical instruments either intentionally or unknowingly.

Nonetheless, the biggest risk lies in people’s forgetfulness and wrongful assumptions. Most people assume either that the objects that they touch are sterile or they simply forget that hand washing is a key component of dental hygiene. Owing to the high rate at which oral infections spread, it is critical for people to be more aware of the existence of germs and hence wash their hands frequently and appropriately (Kelsch, 2013). Due to the anaerobic nature of some bacteria, it is not advisable to take disinfection as the last resort and not consider it an effective way of eradicating bacteria.

In most cases, these bacteria will stay on surfaces even after disinfecting the object. Objects such as bib clips are a good example of perfect hideouts for oral bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria that reside in the oral cavity (Kelsch, 2013). Besides, Kelsch (2013) adds that some anaerobic bacteria that are isolated from the skin and those residing in the upper respiratory tract can never be eliminated by disinfection. In such situations, it is advisable to use disposable bib holders in order to prevent possible bacterial infection.

Apart from using disposable bib clips, one may opt to sterilize the bib clips in order to reuse them if the need arises. Bacteria infect bib clips in a number of ways depending on the surrounding environment. For example, a dentist may touch the bib clips with gloves and pass on oral bacteria or the bib clips may be exposed to an infected patient’s saliva. Furthermore, one bib clip can pass oral bacteria to another bib clip if the two bib clips come into contact. Perhaps this is the reason Kelsch (2013) insists that a disposable bib clip is the best option.

In order to avoid bacterial spread through bib clips, both the patient and the dentist ought to take extreme measures that will limit contact between sterile and unhygienic equipment. Since microorganisms thrive on contaminated surfaces, it is important to wipe surfaces regularly in order to eliminate such bacteria. Moreover, disinfectant should be used in wiping surfaces since bacteria can stay on surfaces for long periods without dying. Therefore, it is essential to select a disinfectant with the appropriate chemical formulation that will deliver effective results as far as bacteria elimination is concerned.

Although most disinfectants have instruction labels, one can opt for alcohol-quaternary ammonium germicidal wipes for effective sterilization (Kelsch, 2013).