Dental Clinic Hygiene

Aishah

The dentist I prefer is in Delhi - his clinic and sterilization techniques etc. are as up-to-date as any back in Oz or NZ. However, this is a 2 day journey from where I live and recently I had two urgent problems that could not wait 2 days - broken bits of teeth and fillings. We have recently acquired here a 'new' dentist - a young Punjabi dental university gold-medallist graduate (on her sign) so I tried her out. She fixed both problems adequately in a temporary sort of way which will tide me over until i reach Delhi again in mid-May.
Some things bother me - her storage facilities are very basic; I see no sign of sterilizing equipment although she assured me she does sterilize; there is no saliva suction thing; the boy who assists her does not wash his hands and in fact there is no hand washing facility anywhere nor any wipes. She puts on a mask and rubber gloves. For both appointments I made them the first of the day figuring any germs on instruments would now be dead from overnight?
The clinic is a basic 2 small room shop with opening to the clinic section where at any time while patient is in the chair, people can take a good look at you and hold brief chats with the dentist at the same time! (This is a village habit, same happens with the doctor on his outside verandah, so i am used to this).
Is all this satisfactorily hygienic??
Can an ex-pat dentist or expert comment on this matter - thanks!

the opoponax

i'm no doctor, dentist, or specialist, but my instinct is that if this dentist isn't willing to show you her sterilizing equipment, that's bad news. the lack of visible handwashing facilities is also a problem.

having not been to india yet, i can't speak to what the norm is, but i know that in my doctor's and dentist's offices in the US, there is a sink right there in the room for hand washing and a box of gloves (you SEE each doctor and nurse take a set of gloves and then discard them). there is a big emphasis on answering questions about hygenic practices, and they are always willing to explain to you what they do and show you the equipment. a lot of stanitary tools (the sink, the soap, the gloves, etc.) is right there in front of you, so you can see that it's clean without having to ask.

so if your dentist is being evasive about sanitary procedures, that's definitely a bad sign.

Nick-H

Not in my book it is not satisfactory, no.

Even the handsets for drills can hold some very nasty infections and should be sterilised properly.

As for not washing hands --- I was reading an article last week about this being the single biggest factor of spreading infections between patients in hospitals. The article was written by a US hospital surgeon, describing ...heck, here's the link

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Digital Drifter

Tip: Be the first to visit/get operated upon...that's all I'm saying.

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Aishah

Thank you both - I checked your link Nick-H, pretty scary stuff. Won't go back there and I think I am 'lucky' to have got away with no repercussions, touch wood! Looks like it's the 5 hour trip to Jodhpur to the next best to Delhi dentist for any emergencies from now on.

Digital Drifter - both times I was the 1st in the morning so maybe it helped but I think now better not to go at all.

graybola

Which dentist do you use in Delhi, if you dont mind me asking? I am coming there in about 4 weeks and figure I can get what I need done there much less expensive than in the US. Thanks, Chris

Aishah

His name is Manish Motihar- clinc name Manav Dental Clinic,17A/14
W.E.A. Karol Bagh. Telephones: 011 -25718511; 25725146 and 65467289. His clinic is located adjacent to Hotel Swati De Luxe which stands on the corner of a small lane to the side of it - you go short distance down this lane and he is on left side. Swati De Luxe is immediately opposite the Jessa Ram Hospital and on Gurudwara Road. Also, if you wanted other areas in Delhi there are other posts I think of dentists in Delhi on this forum. His prices are reasonable - not overcharging for foreigners. He is in walking distance of the Metro station - when you came out turn right - there will be cycle rickshaws there and shops to the left. Don't cross the road, go down the small lane to right to roundabout area, keep to left and walk left - you should be near Jessa Ram Hospital now on your right.
The lane will be along a little bit to your left. Good luck!

Noodle

But does that hold true if gloves are used and changed after each patient? I don't think so.

Even so, no, the dentist you describe, Aishah, doesn't sound very up to date.

What I noticed even in very modern dentist surgeries is that they often will touch and adjust the light with the gloved fingers they just had in my mouth! The dentist I use most of the time tells the boy to adjust it. I've also seen the handle of the light being wrapped with some plastic which they then change.

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Nick-H

I'm sure that a real purist would say, yes, it does matter.

For a start, it is impossible to put the gloves on or off without touching them, and proper washing, if I remember the article I mentioned above properly, means scrubbing up to the elbows.

My dentist often treats two patients at once. He changes his gloves for each patient. I guess I settle for that!

Aishah

Gosh - I never thought about the light touching thing - I think my Delhi dentist might do this. I really think the answer is always to be the first patient in the morning even if they seem top-notch. The Delhi one has got the handwashing facility.

Nick-H

Hands up everyone who thought, At least this can't turn into another IndiaMike Toilet Thread...

Well, You're wrong!

This from the UK, courtesy of the BBC...

Urinating dentist struck off list
Click the link for the whole story. Maybe things are better in India!

Noodle

That is for surgeries. Big open wounds on the surface of the body etc. Not for drilling inside an orifice, I don't think.

I'm not sure if you're right about the touching of gloves when you change. Because when you take a glove OFF you simply pull it from the rim over your hand, you don't touch anywhere near the fingers and hand part. So, the finger you used to pull it off with would still be clean.

Urinating dentist in the UK??? Shall I laugh or cry? What did you google to find that?

Nick-H

That is for surgeries. --- well, no! If I remember the article correctly, it is the correct procedure between even examining patients! The surgeon also writes that proper hygiene would result in one-third of medical-staff-hours being spent washing! It is actually an impossible situation.

Remember, MRSA lives on the skin. It lives on the skin of many of us, without any problem whatsoever --- until it infects a wound. So, the doctor or nurse transfers MRSA on their hands from one patient to another. That other is about to have an operation...

(I keep an eye on BBC UK news regularly, and remembered seeing that story recently --- is how I found it)

Noodle

I just read through the article. It says

It's about when they don't wear gloves.

Nick-H

OK... I read the article several weeks ago, thought it relevent --- but I don't even begin to remember it well enough to argue about its details.

So I'd better stop