Needle stick injuries in the dental environment are a real, dangerous and growing problem. World-wide research suggests needle injuries go largely unreported and are therefore significantly under-represented.

Despite this fact, studies in the UK alone report that up to 56% of dental clinicians suffer at least one needle stick injury per year¹. Second only to back-injuries as a cause of occupational injury amongst National Health Service employees, an ongoing surveillance project suggests as many as 100,000 needle stick injuries occur in the UK² every year with 30% of these constituting a moderate or high risk of transmission or infection.

Estimates in the US tell a similar story. From eight million healthcare workers, 378,000 to 756,000 needle stick injuries occur each year with 5,610 exposures to HIV³.

In addition to the mental anxiety incurred as a result of waiting for diagnosis’s, needle stick injuries cost clinics thousands of dollars in health treatments, costs associated with lost working hours, mental health issues, workers compensation payouts and possible legal action. As a Canadian study put it “The cost of a needle stick injury is not insignificant even if no treatment is required. Not only are there physical costs but the psychological effects are considerable”⁴.

Whilst there is little data on the incidence of needle stick injuries in Australia, according to Graham Duckworth, Sales & Marketing Manager for W9, these international results can be reliably, albeit worryingly, extrapolated to the Australian situation.

Needle stick injuries – the solution

As a result of five years of product development, there is now a solution to the problem of dental-specific needle stick injuries- the inSafe Dental Syringe.

“Whilst needle stick injury prevention has, to date, involved behavioural change and the implementation of certain procedures in relation to sharps containers, the groundbreaking inSafe Dental Syringe does not require any change of technique by the dentist” said Duckworth.

“Cleaning a syringe and disposing of the needle have been shown to be the most likely times for needle stick injury to occur, followed by changing the anaesthetic cartridge, re-capping and during transfer between the dentist and nurse,”

Duckworth continued. “The inSafe Dental Syringe doesn’t just protect against some of these dangers, it protects against all of them”.

The inSafe Dental Syringe features a regular syringe unit with a pop-up sleeve that slides safely over the needle and locks into place, so reloading the unit with a new anaesthetic cartridge or dismounting the needle won’t ever expose the needle tip. It feels like a traditional dental syringe and uses standard dental needles. The needle remains completely protected when not in use and is disposed of directly into the inSafe Sharps Container.

Due to the inSafe’s lockable sleeve, the needle can be passed between dentist and nurse with complete safety. The safety sleeve also means that no matter how the syringe is held, the needle is covered while the anaesthetic cartridge is being changed. The inSafe Sharps Container disconnects the needle from the rest of the syringe in a single, twisting movement, without the requirement of manual handling by staff. The container has been specifically designed for singlehanded use, which eliminates the risk of  accidental self-injection common in many sharps disposal procedures.

The inSafe Dental Syringe took out the coveted Product Innovation of The Year Award at the 2009 Dental Awards in London, where judges claimed it was the first complete solution to the problem of dental-specific needle stick injuries.

W9 is the exclusive distributor of the revolutionary inSafe Dental Syringe in Australia and New Zealand. For further information, or to arrange a free demonstration at a time to suit your practice, contact W9 on 02 9987 4224.

Alternatively, visit the dedicated inSafe Dental Syringe website www.insafesyringe.com.au for further information and a demonstration.

Ref:
1. Felix DH et al. 1994, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Br Dent J. 1994 Mar 5;176(5):180-4.
2. The Safer Needles Network, www.saferneedles.org.au
3. Needle stick/sharps injuries and HIV exposure among healthcare workers: national estimates based on a survey of U.S. hospitals. 13 Henry K, Campbell S.Minn Med 1995;78:41-44.
4. Living with needle stick injuries. David H T, David Y M. J Can Dent Assoc 1997;63:283-286.