ABSTRACT
Background and Aims: Contamination of dental unit water lines has received a great deal of attraction in recent years mainly due to its role in bacterial infection among immunocom promised and vulnerable people. The purpose of this study was microbiological evaluation of dental units outflow operating in private clinics and the dental units active at dentistry faculty of Kurdistan university, Sanandaj, Iran
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive analytical study the total number of 250 water samples were collected; four specimen per unit. The samples were cultured on the specific media and the number of bacterial colonies were counted after keeping at 37[degree]c for 48 hours
Results: The result of this study showed no strong indication to claim a significant difference between private clinics and university units in terms of bacterial infections. However, in average the contamination level of the specimens obtained from the private dental clinics was lower than those found from the university's units. A notable decline of the contamination in handpieces' water was observed after flushing. Compared to the water of handpieces, the contamination of tap water was also observed to be lower
Conclusion: The result of this study showed that microbiological level of dental unit water lines is high. The dentists must be aware of the high level of microorganisms in the dental unit's water and thus minimize the risk of infection for both staff and patients