BDA supports decision on decontamination in Scotland
The British Dental Association has welcomed a decision on decontamination in Scotland. The Scottish Health Technologies Group issued a statement saying that dentists will not be required to use vacuum sterilisers due to there being a lack of evidence to confirm that they enhance patient safety.
The announcement was made following a request by Dr Margie Taylor, Chair of the Scottish Dental Decontamination Group; Dr Taylor called for the matter to be discussed and considered further as a result of a lack of evidence to suggest that vacuum sterilisation increases patient safety. A decision has now been made based on a review of the literature by the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) and non-vacuum autoclaves can continue to be used in primary care settings across the country.
Dr Robert Kinloch, chair of the BDA’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said that the BDA supports the decision, which has been made on the basis that there is not enough evidence to support the notion that using vacuum sterilisers will increase the safety of patients. Dr Kinloch said the statement was based on ‘common-sense’ and claimed that it was right to focus attentions and resources on patient care, rather than changing policy based on flimsy evidence.
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