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It is essential that a dental practice is laid out in such a way with its design that a clean environment is encouraged.
Here, we take you through some of the important things to remember when choosing a layout for your practice.
It is important to keep your equipment that’s clean away from equipment that needs to be cleaned. This way, you won’t run the risk of any airborne germs shifting from the dirty equipment to the clean.Your clean space should always be without clutter so that dirt and dust isn’t encouraged.
It’s not just the table top surfaces you need to consider when you are fitting out your new practice; the carpets and furniture also need to be taken into consideration. Carpeted areas should not be within the clinical spaces, and neither should furniture covered in fabric. This is so the surfaces are easy to clean and disinfect.
Consider tiled floor for the inside of the clinical rooms, and professional, hospital grade furniture. Also consider your patients’ safety and make sure all floor surfaces aren’t slippery.
You want to make sure your clinic is as easy to clean as possible, and this includes ensuring corners are easy to get into, and hard to reach places are eliminated.
One of the easiest ways to keep areas clean is to choose sensors for your taps, lighting and toilets. This will help reduce the amount of
germs around the practice. Even automatic doors will help reduce grime build up.
You want to ensure all your staff are well trained in hygiene and cleanliness, so your practice can remain spotless at all times.
For example, when planning your dental fit-out, provide a place for patients to leave their personal possessions, and then instruct your staff to let them know where to place their belongings. This will reduce clutter and avoid a patient or staff member from tripping over something that gets in the way. However, try and keep horizontal surfaces to a minimum so clutter build up is discouraged.
Have procedures in places for getting rid of waste and anything, such as linen, that needs to be washed. Ensure staff use gloves when dealing with hazardous materials, and ensure they disinfect areas where waste is stored regularly.
With a well thought-out design, your dental practice can remain clean and contamination free at all times.