WHEN you sit in the dentist’s chair, of course you’ll want to know that your dentist is keeping hygiene in mind.
So you might not want to hear that some dentists have been trying some bizarre DIY solutions to their problems - such as covering their computer keyboard with clingfilm to keep out dirt and germs.
(It doesn’t cost much, certainly - but in some European countries it could close the practice down.)
British dentists need to comply with HTM 01-05, a piece of legislation which demands that keyboards should be covered, or replaced completely with easy-to-clean waterproof keyboards.
The UK's Health Technical Memorandum 01-05, HTM0105, Decontamination in Primary Care Dental Practice offers clear advice on minimising the risk of transferring infection via equipment in a dental environment.
Treatment areas should be cleaned after every session - so dentists need a keyboard that can be swiftly readied for the next patient, keeping the waiting room moving.
And it’s in this area that Nexus supplier ActiveKey excels - providing a range of fully-protected keyboards to the healthcare industry.
Standard keyboards and computer mice are a trap for bacteria - difficult to clean, full of nooks, crannies and gaps. In fact, they’re the perfect place to develop a ‘biotope’ - a mini-environment for living organisms, right underneath your fingers.
Even without direct contact from human blood, skin or saliva, a dentist uses equipment that can spray or splash, which may not be immediately visible to the human eye.
The use of aerosols in dental work transfers micro-organisms to all exposed surfaces, so the HTM 01-05 sets out protocols to prevent cross contamination. Keyboards must be sealed, fully washable, resilient to medical disinfectants (including alcohol, bleach solution, and sodium hypochlorite), and able to be washed with soap and water so that disinfectant residues can also be removed.
It’s also helpful to dental staff if the keys are low profile, the item is robust, and if the keyboard looks aesthetically pleasing in a clinical environment.
For a catch-all solution that covers all the bases, dentists could consider ActiveKey 4450 - a high quality, reliable keyboard with a compact layout and integrated touchpad. The touchpad eliminates the need for a separate mouse (though ActiveKey do produce a range of mice that are suitable for clinical environments) and can be purchased as a wireless keyboard, doing away with the connecting wires that can be both unsightly and in need of cleaning themselves.
The keyboard’s capacity for purification makes it a perfect fit in dental surgeries, hospitals and practitioners.
The seamless silicon membrane gives a 360 degree safeguard against dirt and splashed liquid, and the surface can be thoroughly disinfected by spraying or wiping.
There is even a keystroke - “Fn”+”Clean on/off” - to disable the keys whilst cleaning.
And it’s suitable for a whole range of medical-use disinfectants and cleaning agents, .
For the benefit of the user, the keyboard has a low force tactile key, which makes it comfortable to use for prolific writing in environments where hygiene is critical.
Its options include 2.4GHz wireless transmission with a 10m effective range, and full sealing protection to IP68 - making it withstand dust, dirt and sand, as well as liquid (IP68 equipment is resistant to submersion up to a depth of 1.5metres under water for up to 30 minutes). And its operating temperature is from 0º to + 50º C.

As with all Nexus products, we’re always on hand to make sure that you get the right solution for your business. Options for the 4450 can be viewed here http://nexuscomponents.co.uk/Search/?q=AK-4450 - but please do get in touch to talk through the full range of medical-grade keyboards that we supply. 

Photo by Daniel Frank on Unsplash