Building barriers

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This, he adds, can lead to the repeated use of single-use tools out of necessity.

"You almost have to just get what is on offer and take what you are given. It's not unheard of to have to wait up to five months to get a specific item."

Educate to eradicate

It's widely acknowledged that any concerted efforts to raise infection control standards need to start in the classroom. Currently, regional dental schools devote a minimal amount of time to barrier policies; a decision that Dr Hijaawi feels undermines the importance of good practice.

"It comes down to education at the end of the day," he explains. "There needs to be a greater emphasis on cross-contamination in the graduate dental curriculum.

"At the moment the issue is an aside, it is a small part of the wider course. However, I would rather see cross-infection control added to the syllabus as a separate module."

He is not alone in thinking that graduating dentists should have a greater awareness of infection control's importance in the practice.

"I believe it should be more formalised. There should be lectures and seminars in the subject and there should have an exam in it - it should be assessed," says Slim.

"If anything, students should probably learn in detail about proper cross-infection controls before they even touch their first patient. It should not be something that is just picked-up in the clinic through general work."

Hijjawi is also an advocate of short continuing education courses for practising dentists. "It is important that there are opportunities for dentists to familiarise themselves with the latest techniques and technologies on a regular basis. In my opinion, there are not enough of these courses in the region."

Equally, Slim suggests that not enough funding goes into training the region's dental nurses and assistants. "I think a lot of dentists look at the assistant as just a necessary burden; as someone they have to pay to be there while they work.

"Inevitably, they just want to get them into the surgery and get them working as quickly as possible since it is costing them money. So they are not inclined to spend two or three days training them.

"The entire set-up at the end of the day is the responsibility of the dentist. It is not an adequate excuse for the nurse or assistant to say ‘I didn't know that I had to do that'."

Prevention pays

As well as the obvious safety rewards, there is a soft benefit to having an airtight infection control procedure. According to Slim, patients are usually willing to pay a little extra for the piece of mind. He says that a clinic's cleanliness can be a marketing tool.

"Infection control is not cheap and these costs are ultimately passed on to the client. It is called dental inflation," he explains. "Patients do pay more, but they do so knowing that they are getting very hygienic care, so it does pay for itself in the end.

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