Hygiene and sterilization

At Mercuri Orthodontie we give great importance to the hygiene of our office and we scrupulously apply the hygiene and medical device retreatment and waste removal protocols set up by the FOPH (FEDERAL OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH). The asepsis measures described below help prevent the transmission of disease within the practice.

General precautions before treatment:

• The healthcare team is vaccinated according to OFSP guidelines for healthcare workers.
• A complete hygiene protocol and infection controls are maintained in the practice.
• Each member of the staff regularly attends continuous training aimed at improving his skills and ensuring proper monitoring of the most up to date standards.
• All patients have to fill a questionnaire regarding their current medical condition and medical and dental history. The answers are carefully considered to provide the most comprehensive and safe care for everyone.

Each patient must wear a mask and disinfect his hands as soon as they enter our office.

Summary of hygiene procedures:

• The whole care team washes and disinfects their hands before and after each procedure with an antiseptic soap and a hydroalcoholic-based disinfectant gel.
• Gloves and medical masks are worn during treatment and discarded after each procedure or as often as necessary during a procedure.
• The healthcare team and patients too wear protective goggles.
• After each treatment, these aseptic techniques are mandatory:
• After each treatment, disposable dental supplies (cups, gloves, containers, saliva pumps, etc.) are discarded.
• The treatment area is cleaned and disinfected with a hospital disinfectant, to ensure that all germs are eliminated.
• Non-disposable instruments (probes, mirrors, tweezers, forceps, etc.) are carefully cleaned, disinfected using powerful disinfectants and then sterilized with a class B pressurized heat sterilizer, for medical and dental use.
• The sterilizing machines are regularly checked using specific tests, aimed at controlling and guaranteeing their correct functioning.
• All medical devices are kept sterile in sterilization bags according to the standards for packaging, conservation and traceability.
• Special waste (needles, blades, etc.) is collected by a company specialized in the collection of contaminated objects before being incinerated under supervision.
•  Regular OFSP checks take place to ensure that the measures undertaken are in accordance with cantonal and federal recommendations.

The retreatment of medical devices is classified into 3 classes according to Spaulding. Although most orthodontic procedures are not invasive (contact with blood or a sterile body cavity), in our practice, each instrument is classified and treated as “critical”. This implies that all of our medical devices undergo hospital-level retreatment and therefore each patient has a sterile instrument kit.