ArticleInternational dental journal2025
Water Quality and Biofilm Formation in Dental Unit Waterline Systems in Mangaung, South Africa.
Article in International dental journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Contamination of dental simulation rooms with mycobacteria.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation of a Low-Cost Sodium Hypochlorite Shock Disinfection Protocol for Dental Unit Waterlines.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Biweekly versus triweekly hydrogen peroxide shock treatment for controlling dental unit waterline contamination: a single-center pilot randomized clinical study.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBiofilm formation in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) and the consequent microbial contamination of dental chair unit (DCU) water is a significant challenge. The South African government has no explicit requirements for water quality supplied to DCUs or for disinfection protocols for DUWLs.
aimTo assess bacterial water quality and presence of biofilm-associated organisms in DUWLs of open and closed system DCUs.
methodsStandard water sampling was followed in accordance with the South African National Standard for drinking water (SANS 241:1) and used as reference for microbial water quality to measure heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) and total coliforms for possible water contamination. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella spp. are common opportunistic pathogens found in DUWL and were also assessed using selective media.
resultsHPC exceeded the national standard of <10 × 10
conclusionContamination levels of DUWL water and surfaces of open and closed system DCUs were high, highlighting the need for national regulations of DUWL quality and decontamination protocols in South Africa.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.