Dental Legionella Test Kit (Hydrosense One Ultra)

What is the Hydrosense One Ultra Dental Test

Ensure the safety of your dental practice with the Hydrosense One Ultra Dental Legionella Test Kit. Designed for simplicity and efficiency, this comprehensive kit empowers dental staff to quickly and accurately test for legionella bacteria in dental unit water lines (DUWLs). 

What's included in the kit?

The kit contains all the required apparatus to extract a sample and test it via the lateral flow strip (similar to a Covid-19 test). It includes:

• 1 X Syringe and sample cup.
• 1 X Buffer.
• 1 X Filter.
• 1 X Lateral flow test.
• 1 X Instruction manual.

Why do I need the Hydrosense One Ultra Dental test?

In dental surgeries, exposure to legionella bacteria can occur in numerous ways.  Although most people become ill by inhaling droplets of water (aerosols) contaminated with legionella, rarely wounds can be infected by legionella pneumophila bacteria. Another way in which legionella can make it into the lungs of patients is through aspiration of contaminated water into the airways (accidentally swallowing water but it making it into the lungs instead).

Due to the risks involved and the ideal potential breeding ground that DUWL’s create, managing and monitoring the water quality in dental surgeries is very important (for the safety of staff and patients).

Causes of the presence of legionella bacteria in dental surgeries:

• Contaminated water source
• Biofilm buildup from stagnant water / water sitting in pipes
• If anti-retraction valves are not used or are not working, microbes can get into the system.
• Bottled systems can be a source of contamination if not cleaned / disinfected as biofilm can form.
• Water storage at temperatures between 20 degrees C and 45 degrees C increases the likelihood of legionella bacteria colonising and multiplying.

Cases / evidence of legionella in DUWLs

The presence of legionella bacteria has been confirmed in dental practices when samples have been taken for studies and monitoring. Sadly, a case in a dental surgery in 2012 led to the death of a patient.¹

Evidence from multiple studies show that bacteria in general is prevalent in DUWLs with legionella being a specific problem in some systems. High general microbiological counts can indicate the possibility that legionella is present or that the conditions for it to thrive are greater.

The British dental association published the following facts that make for troubling reading:

“More than 25 different species of bacteria as well as fungi and protozoa have been isolated from DUWLs.”²

“Recovery rates for Legionellae in DUWLs are in the range of 102 –105 cfu/ml. Data on the prevalence of Legionellae species in DUWLs vary widely from 0% to 60%, with a prevalence of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 of approximately 8%. Once a DUWL is contaminated, colonisation can persist for years.”³

What dental practices can do to limit the risk

In the UK, dental practices are required to complete a legionella risk assessment. Conducting a testing regime as part of precautionary and proactive measures to ensure that risk is limited would provide extra reassurance.

Dental Legionella Test Kit contents

The Hydrosense One Ultra Dental Legionella Test Kit includes everything you need for easy testing: a 250 ml beaker, 60 ml syringe, filter, 1 ml syringe with buffer, 1 lateral flow Legionella test, and comprehensive instructions (with images). The kit is designed for ease of use, enabling dental staff to carry out the tests with minimal training.

How to use the Dental Legionella Test Kit

References:

1: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam201437

2 & 3: https://dentistry.co.uk/app/uploads/2016/09/Contaminated-Dental-Unit-Waterlines-BDA-Dec-13.pdf