Responsibility for hygiene is literally "in our hands", because hands are a major source of disease transmission. They can act as a vehicle for micro-organisms or as a source of infection if pathogenic germs multiply on the skin and are subsequently spread. For this reason, hand hygiene is the most important key factor in ensuring the prevention of infections in clinics, surgeries and laboratories.
The Robert-Koch Institute recommends that you carry out hygienic hand disinfection before each treatment, after interrupting treatment, when changing your gloves and after completing treatment. These measures should be supplemented by washing your hands several times a day (when you blow your nose or go to the toilet, for example). Using the correct techniques during hand disinfection, observing the prescribed reaction times and the quality of the disinfectant product are crucial factors in the success of cleaning and disinfection.
The recommendations of the European Commission (CEN/EN 1500) stipulate the correct method for hygienic hand disinfection. The aim is for all of the hands and wrists to be disinfected when the hygiene measures are carried out. The recommended technique has six steps. Disinfection is only complete once the movements described in each step have been carried out several times and the prescribed rubbing time has expired. Both hands must be damp with disinfectant for the entire duration of the procedure.
This procedure requires discipline, time and effective products. After all, even the best disinfectant can only work if it is applied for long enough and in sufficient quantities. Depending on the product, reaction times for hygienic disinfection are between 30 and 60 seconds. For surgical disinfection, the hands must be washed for approx. 1 minute and then disinfected for 5 minutes (1.5 minutes with HD 410 from Dürr Dental). Naturally, it's difficult to accurately judge the required time during the stress of everyday surgery life unless you actually set a stop watch.
Another important consideration is that disinfectants must be applied to dry hands only. Wet hands will dilute the disinfectant and impair its effectiveness. Using too little disinfectant or not rubbing the product in properly can leave behind contaminated areas on the skin. The wearing of jewellery, watches and rings is absolutely forbidden during treatment, since the skin underneath them is difficult to disinfect.
Last but not least, product quality is critical. Only disinfectants listed by the Association for Applied Hygiene in Germany (VAH) should be used. All Dürr Dental hand disinfection products have VAH listings. Naturally, Dürr Dental's products are gentle on the skin, too. Dürr Dental's range thus comprises products which act reliably whilst protecting your skin. They include HD 410 perfume-free hand disinfectant with rehydrating components, HD 412 essential scent-free and colorant-free hand disinfectant (suitable for people with allergies), mild HD 435 cleansing lotion and pleasant-smelling HD 440 care lotion for stressed and sensitive skin. Dürr Dental even offers contactless options for product application with the Touchless universal dispenser – a sensor dispenser for 500 ml and 1 l bottles. A dispensing station for the Touchless universal dispenser was launched in July 2020. The station can be set up as a mobile unit, making it ideal for areas in which wall-mounting is not possible.