‘White Paper’ … Dental Clinic Advisory (you may share this perspective with your colleagues)

Dentist,

We now understand the difficulties and risks of reopening dental clinics, having listened and spoken to several of your colleagues to hear their reopening plans and the requirements they must follow to comply with updated Covid-19 guidelines.

For 30 years, I have been working in the field of Electrolyzed Water – an engineered water that is generated solely by electrolysis of water and salt – and safely returns to water and salt when its cleaning/sanitizing job is complete.  Our company, AQUAOX^TM, is a manufacturer of such generating equipment as well as a producer/distributor of EPA-certified disinfectants in containers.

HOCL:

HOCL (Hypochlorous Acid) is immediately effective and leaves no residue.  HOCL has many clear benefits, such as safety and biodegradability.  HOCL is produced by the human body.  However, HOCL has some disadvantages, as it reacts quickly with organic matter and its shelf life is rapidly compromised by UV-light.  In a way, these disadvantages are also advantages, as these properties explain why HOCL is biodegradable, sustainable and safe … as it reverts to water and salt.

Rarely are countries aligned toward this critically important HOCL opportunity … because HOCL is better than chemical cleaning, the HOCL industry is severely handicapped by regulations requiring each HOCL manufacturer to state their individual claims for their own label.  The unfortunate outcome is that EPA and FDA have allowed claims for chemical companies and denied the exact same claims for HOCL having the same pH and FAC (Free Available Chlorine).

Critically Important:

HOCL has been pronounced by the Center of Disease Control as 100x more powerful than any other disinfectant known to mankind.  Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AQUAOX’s solutions, within seconds, eliminate all known bacteria, viruses and fungi … and (HAI) Super Bugs which are documented as killing millions of Americans in hospitals.

Common Sense:

We offer to your question our humble opinion.

50ppm for surface disinfecting should be sufficient, provided that the surface has been thoroughly pre-cleaned, leaving no organic matter to interfere with the HOCL.  GLP (Good Laboratory Practices) efficacy data shows no difference in kill times and kill claims, whether using a 500ppm or a 10ppm HOCL, as long as the surfaces meet clean conditions requirements.  However, in the presence of organics, HOCL efficacy is compromised, as HOCL is consumed (dissipated) while overcoming the organic load.  Apparently anticipating sloppy cleaning or no cleaning, EPA tests HOCL disinfectants under dirty conditions (noting that disinfecting claims hold up only if the FAC is above 200ppm.

When spraying HOCL in the air, UV-light and micro-organisms consume (HOCL) FAC.  Although 50ppm will oxidize airborne microbes, we have measured a quick drop in FAC when HOCL is aerosolized.  For this reason, 50ppm may be insufficient and is not recommended.

In an acute healthcare facility for the last 6 years, Aquaox has been spraying 525ppm HOCL in OR, ER and ICU … and using 275ppm HOCL in all other areas.  Periodically, we take ATP tests as well as culture tests to determine if bacteria remains on surfaces.  Although not all ATP tests have been satisfactory (directly due to sloppy or no cleaning), the culture tests show no alarming levels of bacteria or no bacteria at all … thus validating that disinfecting by means of (electrostatic) spraying has been effective.

Therefore, the cleaning protocol that we propose is similar to what Aquaox has been doing in hospitals, with emphasis on cleaning.

(Yes, you correctly read this statement … ‘cleaning’ is the removal of debris and dirt.)

Just as we are advised to wash hands with soap and water for 20 sec., staff must clean surfaces more frequently and more thoroughly.

After surfaces are thoroughly cleaned, the second part of the protocol, disinfecting, is simply applied by spraying AX-275 and let air-dry.

Explanation: 

If we disinfect without cleaning, chemical residue gets layered on the top of surfaces, hiding a biofilm full of micro-organisms that are being fed and protected … and leaving ineffective chemicals or electrolyzed water disinfectant.  Without leaving residue, Aquaox works better by removing the layers of residue and biofilm.

• Daily after hours, our protocol is … wipe all high-touch surfaces with wetted microfiber cloth using an alkaline cleaner (such as AX-112), followed by spraying AX-275 and let air-dry.
• Between patients, our protocol is … (electrostatically) spray the patient room with AX-275 and let-air dry. After spraying high touch surfaces with AX-275, wipe dry the patient chair and make sure the floor is not wet (to avoid slip/fall accidents).  With a re-usable microfiber mop, apply AX-275 to floors.  And, just before entering the patient room, spray your own gown…clothing…shoes.

You can do quite a bit better by substituting AX-275 for 50ppm, then aerosolize (spray) HOCL to eliminate odors and give a clean/crisp scent to your dental practice.

Finally, Aquaox recognizes the importance of high quality microfiber cloth/mops. All buyers of Aquaox Disinfectant AX-275, etc. earn a 15% discount from Greenspeed microfiber products. (www.greenspeed.biz)

I hope this ‘White Paper’ helps you stay safe, as being a dentist suddenly became a dangerous profession

+1. 800.790.7520 / info@aquaox.net