BDA calls for decontamination guidance review
The British Dental Association has again asked for a review of research used to compile a document on dental decontamination.
The association (BDA) has asked that the research base of the HTM 01-05 document, which offers guidance on decontamination in dental clinics, be re-examined.
For the second time since 2007, it has written to the Department of Health (DoH) on this issue and is now calling on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to conduct the review.
Three guidance subjects within the document had to be changed before it was printed which led to further concerns, especially as the DoH has repeatedly failed to publish the references to the scientific studies on which the guidance is based – despite several BDA requests.
Susie Sanderson, of the BDA, said that the fact that changes were made to the HTM 01-05 exposes the unstable research on which the guidance is based.
She added that this was causing concerns to many dentists, which were exacerbated every time the DoH failed to publish the research.
Dr Sanderson believes that the document affects every area of British dentistry and said the DoH needed to show more commitment to maintaining the highest standards of dental care and safety.
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