Reusable dental instruments do not meet dentists’ needs, according to a new survey.
The survey, carried out by Robinson Healthcare, found that 60% of dentists believe reusable dental instruments do not meet their practice needs, despite 80% of respondents claiming they use them exclusively.
The main reason respondents gave for using reusable dental instruments was for cost efficiency, followed by infection prevention, convenience, patient and staff safety, and insufficient knowledge about the potential single-use alternatives.
Single-use alternatives
Half of respondents to the survey believed single-use dental instruments are too expensive to use in the practice.
A lack of information was the second biggest reason for not choosing single-use alternatives, with 20% of respondents reporting this issue, others referred to perceived poor quality (10%) and an adverse environmental impact (10%).
Ten per cent of respondents reported a lack of understanding about the total operating costs associated with re-usable instruments and half of them welcomed a free audit of their current costs to identify potential cost savings.
