Stoma Dental introduces backflow prevention saliva ejector

Stoma Dental is introducing a backflow prevention saliva ejector (SE) valve in conjunction with the 151^st Midwinter Meeting of the Chicago Dental Society. Stoma’s new DOVE^® Backflow Prevention SE Valve is a one-way valve that virtually eliminates backflow cross contamination risk between dental patients.

“For many years now, studies have demonstrated the potential risk associated with backflow, which is caused by greater negative pressure in the patient’s mouth than in the saliva evacuator tubing,” explains Robert Vanderselt, Managing Partner, Stoma Dental. “After decades of concern about backflow, it is exciting and important to have this new option available to offer to dental professionals and their patients, as it brings a new level of confidence to their infection control efforts.”

Research has shown that backflow occurs in about 1 in 5 patients who close their lips around the SE tip.¹ In light of this evidence, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that dental patients not be instructed to close their lips around the SE tip when it is in use.²

Stoma Dental will be exhibiting at the upcoming Midwinter Dental Meeting, and sharing additional instructional material there about its new backflow prevention SE valve.

“The new SE valve only allows for one-way flow or suction, and an internal flap prevents any opportunity for backflow,” Vanderselt explains. “As with our entire DOVE^® line, the valve system offers superior infection control in an intuitively simple form, and we will continue to look for ways to make their integration into dental practices convenient and trouble free.” 

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To eliminate variability when anti-infection protocols need to be optimized and patient safety is a top priority, the DOVE^® line of disposable valves can be integrated into a private dental practice or institutional dental setting, improving workflow and reducing critical labor-intensive staff time.

“Our new SE Valve finally provides an affordable and time-saving solution to offer a clean valve for each patient," says Jim Langeloh, Stoma’s Vice President of Sales. "This is crucial, because metal HVE and SE valves are not properly maintained from office to office, whereas our disposable valves offer a safe and easy-to-use alternative.”

All DOVE^® HVE and SE valves are simple to operate:  A smooth and easy switch activation by the dentist, assistant, or hygienist operates the open and closing mechanism.  At the end of each procedure, the valves can be pulled off of the vacuum line and discarded.  The entire process takes a matter of seconds, making their use much more efficient and cost-effective than metal valves, which can take more than 10 minutes (excluding autoclave time), and at times even two staff members, to disassemble and sterilize when following more stringent protocols, such as those recommend by the metal valve manufacturers and CDC. 

The DOVE^® system adapts to a wide range of single use tips, and includes tailcaps to reduce noise and also bacterial aerosols between DOVE^® valve replacements.

Check out this video for more information:

 ^1. RDH Magazine:  www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue-1/columns/infection-control/back-flow-in-low-volume-suction-lines-may-lead-to-potential-cross-contamination.html

^2. Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental a Health-Care Setting, CDCMMWR 2003; 52 (No. RR-17)