Why You Should Be Using an Enzymatic Cleaner?

Dentistry is an increasingly “target-driven” profession and many practices (particularly those fulfilling an NHS contract) are under pressure to maintain a high throughput of patients. This makes the speed and effectiveness of instrument reprocessing even more important, not only in terms of compliance, but also from a business efficiency point of view.

If It Isn’t Clean It Can't Be Sterile!

If instruments are insufficiently cleaned they cannot be sterilised effectively, even after a cycle in an autoclave, so your choice of cleaning product is crucial. This is where enzymatic detergents come into their own. They are increasingly popular due to their efficient and effective cleaning action, which is in contrast to other, often harsher chemical alternatives.

What Are Enzymes?

The Natural Alternative

Enzymes are naturally occurring proteins and are responsible for many essential biochemical reactions in microorganisms, plants, animals and humans and as such are crucial to life processes.

Enzymes catalyse specific reactions, which means they speed up reactions, while at the same time remaining themselves unchanged. One such reaction results in the breakdown of the proteins in blood that can be left on dental instruments. The presence of enzymes in a detergent enables cleaning to take place at lower temperatures, at neutral pH and reduces the need for aggressive chemical breakdown of the soil. This makes enzyme cleaners ideal for use in both manual and ultrasonic cleaning processes.

Enzymes are selective in the reactions they carry out and will only work on a material if it is present. This selectivity not only provides efficient and effective cleaning but has also enabled the formulation of cleaning solutions that have excellent material compatibility – a crucial benefit in dental surgeries where many different types of surfaces and materials are found.

Enzymes are also fully biodegradable and their regular use enhances practices’ green credentials, by using the power of nature to create the effective cleaning agents required in a healthcare setting.

Enzyme types that might be found in dental instrument cleaning products include:

• Protease, which breaks down proteins
• Lipase, which breaks down lipids (fats)
• Amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates and starch