AM-Touch Dental

The Ugly Side Of Bib Chains

Posted by AM-Touch, January 23, 2012, 10:36 AM

Today’s dental office is rife with sanitary precautions. Government regulation, mandatory infection control classes and entire shelves devoted to wipes, cleaners, and sterilants have taught us that there’s no risk worth taking when it comes to the health of patients.

Just when we think we’ve got every base covered, an old familiar standby is revealed to be a dangerous liability.

Bib chains are standard issue in any dental office, used to attach a protective bib around a patient’s neck. Until recently, the most animosity they provoked came from pulled hair and a shockingly cold feeling on the back of the neck.

Science, however, has discovered many bib chain designs appear to harbor bacteria even after standard cleaning with a surface disinfectant towelette.

A study published in The Dental Advisor in June of 2010 tested two common types of bib chains; metal and coiled plastic. They charted usage and tested chains that were quickly wiped with an intermediate disinfectant towelette between patients, as well as those which were not cleaned.

The result found that while “cleaned” chains showed reduced levels of bacteria when compared to dirty chains, they remained more contaminated than new, unused chains.

This potential danger exists not only for the patients wearing bibs, but also for office staff, who may handle used bib chains without gloves or store them in common areas.

The data shows that even after a standard disinfection technique, there is no match for a fresh, new bib chain for every patient to avoid cross contamination.

To meet this new demand, DUX Dental developed Bib-Eze disposable bib holders. The product is simple; each box contains 250 stretchy paper strips that stick to bibs, forming a U-shaped area for the neck. At the end of the procedure, the bib and the Bib-Eze are disposed without dismantling.

Even despite the fact that Bib-Eze strips are disposable, they still may provide for little to no additional waste. Because office staff no longer needs to disinfect the chain, each procedure should yield one fewer disinfectant towelette, and even save office staff time on cleanup.

It may be difficult to imagine a world without those cold metal bib chains, however it’s hard to doubt the peace of mind such a quick and easy change can bring to patients and staff of the most discerning dental practice.

Shop for Bib-Eze at AMTouch.com >

Category: Disposables