Maintenance regimes may need to be set up and followed to ensure sufficient maintenance of the practice’s equipment. Furthermore, by not following the manufacturer’s instructions you are likely to be invalidating the warranty, which can in turn lead to increased costs and increased risk. Risk may be caused by something as simple as not following the maintenance recommendations of the manufacturer as this could lead to attempts at inappropriate maintenance. Staff have a “duty of care” under the health and safety at work act preventing them from putting themselves or anyone else at risk. When servicing equipment it is imperative that the team follows the manufacturer’s instructions supplied with the product. When purchasing new equipment be sure to check it is compatible with current equipment and is fit for purpose, and remember the cheapest option is not always the best. This particular legislation was brought in to protect both the patient and user from lesser satisfactory products that are not fail-safe. As of 1998, it became law that all medical devices must have “CE” marked on them to indicate the product has been made to a high quality and has been manufactured to health and safety standards. To ensure risk from equipment failure is minimised a review of all equipment should be made, checking the age and last service date of each piece of equipment. Faulty equipment poses a potential danger for both the patient and the user for this reason, as you could be inadvertently placing your patients at risk if you are not adhering to the manufacturer’s maintenance protocols, it is far better to prevent than to cure. Many pieces of dental equipment are made up of minuscule parts forming complex and sensitive inner workings that can be damaged through age and constant use. Without it, dentists, dental nurses and other dental professionals would be unable to carry out their work tasks.ĭental equipment represents a significant financial investment for most practices and if something goes wrong repairs or replacements can be costly.
Dental equipment is the workhorse of the practice.