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A decade of collaborative research between 17
PLANMECA AND THE DUBLIN DENTAL HOSPITAL
IMPROVED
INFECTION
PREVENTION
AND ITS CONTROL IN DENTAL UNITS
My name is Mary O’Donnell and I am a senior Experimental Dr Mary O´Donnell
Officer in Microbiology at the Dublin Dental School and
Hospital (DDSH) in Ireland. In the late 1990s Prof. David Coleman,
Head of Microbiology at DDSH and Mr Jari-Pekka Teräväinen
from Planmeca initiated a collaborative programme of research to
improve dental unit hygiene.
Dental unit suction hoses and waterlines are important
components that have significant potential for cross-infection and
cross-contamination. In 1999 I started a M.Sc. with Prof. Coleman
researching ways of reducing contamination risks with dental unit
suction systems. I completed my M.Sc. in 2002 and in 2005 began
a Ph.D. researching approaches to optimising dental unit waterline
disinfection, which I completed in 2009.
During this time I was fortunate to have the support of many
Planmeca technical and research and development staff, who were
always willing to assist and to implement design changes to dental
units when necessary.
