A comparison of 2 laboratory methods to test dental unit waterline water quality

Nuala Porteous; Yuyu Sun; Shichien Dang; John Schoolfield

doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2013.07.010

A comparison of 2 laboratory methods to test dental unit waterline water quality

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2013 Nov;77(3):206-8. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2013.07.010. Epub 2013 Sep 17.

Authors

Nuala Porteous¹, Yuyu Sun, Shichien Dang, John Schoolfield

Affiliation

¹ Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7914, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. Electronic address: porteous@uthscsa.edu.

Abstract

The performance of 2 American Public Health Association standard laboratory methods, the R2A spread plate and the SimPlate(TM) for heterotrophic plate count, for quantifying heterotrophic microorganisms in dental waterline samples was evaluated. Microbial counts were underestimated on SimPlate(TM) compared with R2A, and the results indicated a poor correlation between the 2 methods.

Keywords: Dental unit waterline contamination; Dental unit waterline monitoring; Dental unit waterlines.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Evaluation Study
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Colony Count, Microbial / methods*
Culture Media / chemistry
Dental Offices*
Humans
Water Microbiology*
Water Quality*

Substances

Culture Media

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding