Level Up Infection Prevention | Michelle Strange | ICC

Let’s talk about SHOCKING your dental unit waterlines! 💧🦠

Because treating your waterlines daily is important, but routine shocking plays a different role in biofilm management.

Research has shown that combining periodic shocking with continuous antimicrobial treatment resulted in an 88% waterline testing pass rate, compared with:

* 60% with shocking alone
* 58% with daily treatment alone

That’s a pretty compelling reason to have BOTH in your waterline maintenance protocol!

Here are a few things I want every dental office to understand:

💧 TEST BEFORE YOU SHOCK! When performing routine shocking, collect your waterline samples BEFORE shocking so you can evaluate how your ongoing treatment protocol is performing. Testing immediately after shocking doesn’t tell you the same story.

💧 Don’t forget the bottle! One of my favorite things about Citrisil Shock is that you can coat the inside of your dental unit water bottle as directed, helping clean and disinfect it without sticking questionable sponges or brushes inside.

And remember, shocking does NOT replace daily waterline treatment. Follow the manufacturer’s IFU for your specific system, including shock frequency, contact time, flushing, and testing.

Your goal? Dental treatment water that consistently meets the CDC recommendation of ≤500 CFU/mL of heterotrophic bacteria.