Re: More implant PANIC that only a dentist can answer what about MRSA and other acquired infections
Thank you so much Rosie, this is very informative. I appreciate very much your taking the time to prepare this answer.
I am trying very hard not to be totally freaked out, my dentist has been very patient as I move through one fear to the next.
I have researched the topic of MRSA and infections in dental implant placement but have not been very successful in finding any good info. So that is why I thought I could only get info from a dentist. But I was wrong, you have been very helpful.
One more question, have you ever heard on someone getting MRSA from Implant placement? I assume it is not common?
Thanks again!!!!!
Hi, its no problem at all. I love my career and it's common to calm patients for these types of procedures. If you were going to hospital to have knee surgery for example I'm sure you'd be worried about that! So don't feel like any of your questions to your dentist are a hinderance, take as much time as you need. You could even make an appointment beforehand with your dentist just for a discussion of any other questions you have before the big day so you can properly prepare your mind. (I say the big day, but depending on the amount of implants placed you'll probably be in and out within an hour or two)
I've tried to have a look online for statistics and, like you, I can't find a great deal.
I did find this.. "The transmission of MRSA in the dental setting is a possibility, though there have been very few documented cases. An example of the possibility is the documented transmission of MRSA from a British dental practitioner to patients.3 The two patients were seen within three weeks of each other, and both developed the same type of MRSA. The dentist had the same MRSA isolated from his fingernails. He did not wear gloves. He had undergone emergency surgery prior to the events, at a hospital that was dealing with an outbreak of MRSA. The dentist received treatment for the disease, and infection control was increased in his dental setting, including the use of gloves and handwashing. At an evaluation of his office setting nine weeks later, no MRSA was detected."
...It doesn't have a date of the activity, but I can assure you dentists cannot and do not practice without gloves these days for everybodies safety! So I would've thought that was a long time ago, and as previously noted, standards and protocols change all the time and we are so closely monitored that simply nobody would be able to get away with something that unhygienic.
Come to think of it, the MRSA pathogens were present under the clinician's fingernails. So if you wanted to REALLY break it down; that risk is eliminated 3 times over. By the barrier of gloves, by the thorough disinfection of all equipment and single-use instruments that have direct contact with your bone/gums, and by the hand washing techniques we use. It might be useful for you to look up a clinical handwash and a surgical or aseptic handwash- both are mandatory and part of our routine.
The same article, referring to the bacteria present in MRSA/MSSA later concludes "One study showed a shocking rate of the pathogen on a treasure chest for prizes in a pediatric clinic. Simply cleaning the box with a household cleaner eliminated the risk."
I'd like to remind you also, that, one of the rules that we as dental nurses stand by is to "treat everybody as clinically infectious". We treat patients every day with blood-borne viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis etc. We eliminate that cross-contamination risk by following this rule because not everybody is going to disclose that they are infectious. It cannot be one rule for some and different for another; if we reset the surgery exactly the same after each patient and strive to increase the amount of single-use items or autoclavable items, wether they have disclosed an infectious condition, wether they are carrying it in secret, or they may not be infectious at all, then all risk is eliminated!
Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. The thought of implants (especially if you like to scare yourself and read about the procedure beforehand!) is very daunting. speak to your support group, friends, family and colleagues. Talk about it, let your mind become used to the idea. Hopefully when it's all through and you have a new lease of life, you'll wonder what all the worry was for.
Best wishes,
Rosie
