Hygiene management in dental practices
Results of nationwide online interviews in Germany


IDZ-Information No. 2/10
Meyer, V. P., Jatzwauk, L.
Hygiene management in dental practices – Results of nationwide online interviews in Germany

Abstract

Prevention of infection is of utmost importance in the rendering of medical services to protect patients and people working in this field from the transmission of potentially pathogenic agents. Thus adequate infection prevention in the inpatient and outpatient sector of medical care is a central element of quality assurance on the structure, process and outcome level. Normative bases are besides other rules and regulations the recommendations of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infectious Disease Prevention of the Robert Koch-Institut (RKI). They were published especially with respect to the field of dentistry for the first time in 1998 and were adjusted and updated in 2006.

Before this background already in the past several studies were carried out to document hygiene equipment and the performance of hygiene and infection prevention in dental practices. With the present study „Hygiene management in dental practices – Results of nationwide online interviews in Germany“ the Institute of German Dentists (IDZ) presents a contribution on the current state of hygiene management in German dental practices on the basis of a sample of 500 dentists. As a result it can be stated that over the past 10 years the measures realized in dental practices regarding the prevention of infection as well as the hygiene equipment of the practices have improved considerably. Undoubtedly this favorable development can also be attributed to the manifold efforts of the regional dental chambers in this field. On the other hand the answers show also that there are single points, which can be further improved.

The study was carried out in cooperation with TNS Healthcare, Munich; they were responsible for the field work (autumn 2009). The authors of the present report are: Dr. Victor Paul Meyer (Institute of German Dentists/Cologne) and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Lutz Jatzwauk (Technical University of Dresden).