GB2280607A

GB2280607A - Method and apparatus for maintenance, cleansing and/or disinfection of suction systems in dental clinics

Info

Publication number: GB2280607A
Application number: GB9413434A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Manfred Vollstedt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-07-14
Filing date: 1994-07-04
Publication date: 1995-02-08
Also published as: AT402149B; GB9413434D0; ATA138394A; DE4323507A1

Description

2280607 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAINTENANCE, CLEANSING AND/OR

DISINFECTION OF SUCTION SYSTEMS IN DENTAL CLINICS In many dental treatments, liquids frequently containing saliva, blood, pus and solids are sucked of f. This is performed through a duct system held under vacuum.

At the connection places in the treatment rooms, there are hoses including reception devices into which such ducts are slipped in. Before starting any dental treatment, a suction duct is slipped into the connector. During the course of the treatment, the duct is inserted in the patient's mouth and the liquid accumulating is sucked off. The suction flow passes through air/water separating elements wherein liquid and air portions are separated. While the air is conducted to the outside, the liquid constituents, as in accordance with corresponding regulations, are conducted through an amalgam separator Prior to flowing into the house waste water pipe. Tube and hose ducts, air/water separating elements as well as amalgam separators constitute the common components of dental Suction systems.

Disturbance-free functioning of dental suction systems requires intensive maintenance so that deposits and foam formations in hose, air/water separating systems and amalgam separators are avoided and an hygienically acceptable condition is obtained. Solids which are depositing in the suction hoses and separating elements, an incrementing carpet of bacteria as well as foam formation when sucking off blood have frequently led in the past to failures in suction systems and amalgam separators.

Common cleansing, maintenance and disinfecting measures for suction systems consist hitherto essentially in that at the end of a working day, a solution consisting of a cleansing, maintenance and/or disinfectant concentrate, in the following simply referred to as the cleansing agent, is prepared by dilution with water and subsequently is sucked off.

With a view to the high transporation speed in the suction system, the solution arrives very rapidly directly in the sewerage where it is of no use f or the suction system. Furthermore. the treatment of the suction system once per day only is not enough to obtain a suf f icient effect.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by a method for maintenance, cleansing and/or disinfection of suction systems in dental clinics wherein cleansing agent is sucked off by the system in intervals in which water is conducted, prior to its entry into the suction system a through a container in which a solid or plastic block of an active substance having maintaining, cleansing and/or disinfecting properties gets in contact with the water and releases effective substances to the water.

The release of the components of the active substance to the suckedthrough water can be adapted to the respective requirements in each case by the solubility of the activesubstance block, the size of the surface of the activesubstance block which gets into contact with the water, and the time of the contact.

In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the method of the invention, the water sucked in for cleansing is conducted to the suction system by means of a derouting means either directly or via the container containing the active-substance block.

By operating the derouting means for instance, cleansing with the cleansing agent can be effected in certain intervals only, for example prior to each treatment. For operating the derouting means, common switching and control means can be used which are known in the art.

In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the method of the invention, operation of the derouting means is coupled with the slipping-in of the suction tube into the connector and thus will automatically be performed prior to each treatment of a patient.

An apparatus for performing the method of the invention comprises a dental suction system under vacuum including a connector connected therewith for receiving the suction tube, a two-path duct for the water used as the cleansing agent and a switch-over valve by which the water sucked in by the tube is conducted either directly or through a bypass in which the water gets in contact with a solid or plastic block of an active substance which releases active substances to the water.

The valve provided in accordance with the invention makes possible that water can be passed through the bypass duct for any duration of time.

On the other hand, switch-over of the valve can be effected by means of a time controller by which, after the expiration of an exactly predetermined period of time, resetting of the valve is automatically effected so that after each switch-on about the same amount of cleansing agent is introduced via the bypass duct for cleansing into the dental suction system.

It has shown to be particularly useful if the switchover valve is operated by slipping of the suction tubeinto the connector. By such a device cleansing of the system is automatically performed after each treatment as soon as water is sucked off. the duration of such cleansing treatment can also be fixedly preadjusted by means of a corresponding time controller.

In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, two stop position are provided in the connector for the suction tube where in position 1 the sucked-in water gets in contact, via the bypass duct, with the activesubstance block and in position 2 direct flow-through is open. Such an embodiment is characterized by a relatively simple structure and guarantees cleansing of the suction system after removal of the suction tube.

In accordance with a still further advantageous embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, a valve is provided in the direct flowthrough duct which closes direct flow-through both when the suction tube is not slipped in and when in stop positon 1 of the tube, and opens direct flow-through in stop positon 2.

Such an embodiment is characterized by an extremely simple structure and guarantees cleansing after each exchange of the suction tube.

For preparing the connection between the connector of the invention for the reception of the suction tube to the vaccum system, the connecting socket provided on the connector is advantageously so shaped that it corresponds to a common suction tube.

Such an embodiment has the advantage that the cleansing apparatus according to the invention can be connected to suction systems already available while no extensive alterations have to be made.

In accordance with a still further advantageous embodiment, the container for the active substance provided in the bypass duct is at least partly transparent. This has the advantage that it can be detected in time when the active -substance block is used up so that a replacement block can be inserted into the cleansing device in time.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

z Figure 1 is a connector 1 according to the invention f or a suction system under vacuum to receive the suction tube, in cross section; Figure 2 is a valve means by which direct f low-through is closed when the suction tube is not slipped in; Figure 3 is the position of suction tube 13 prior to the slipping in into the connector; Figure 4 is the connector according to the invention with the suction tube completely slipped in (stop position 2) with the passage opening open; and Figure 5 is the connector according to the invention with the suction tube removed and direct passage closed, in cross section.

The connector according to the invention consists of a hollow body of preferably cylindrical configuration having a passage opening 1 into which a suction tube 13 can be slipped in. Wall 2 facing the passage opening of the connector is permeable. By removing the lower portion of the hollow body, an act ive- substance block 3 having maintaining, cleansing and/or disinfecting properties for dental suction systems can be inserted which is adapted to the dimensions between outer and inner wall of the hollow space 12 and pressed into shape. Spacers on the inner sides of the hollow space prevent a large area of the active- substance body contacting the walls and small bars position the active- substance block within the hollow body.

The apparatus according to the invention further includes a movable holder, in the present case f or the suction tube, provided in the passage opening and shown in detail in Figure 2. The movable holder can be arrested by engagement at two defined locations 5 and 6 in the passage opening. When slipping suction tube 13 into tube holder 4, the suction tubes also engage when applying a small pressure at point 7 provided for this purpose. The engagement forces of the tube holder and the tube are so designed that tube holder 4 with the tube 13 positioned in the holder can be loosened by drawing from the engagement and re-engaged again. The movement path of the movable tube holder is limited in the downward direction by a lock 8 and in the upward direction by a locking cone 9. Locking cone 9 is connected by small bars 10 with the lower edge of the movable tube holder.

On the upper edge of the suction tube slideway, openings 11 are provided through which water can be sucked through hollow cavity 12 when after the removal of suction tube 13, main passage 1 is locked by locking cone 9.

When putting the apparatus into use, an active- substance body 3 adapted to the dimensions of the hollow space is inserted into hollow space 12. Prior to a dental treatment, a suction tube 13 is slipped into the connector according to the invention as shown in Figure 3. In this ins-Lance, the lower end of tube 13 presses the movable tube holder 4 downward until it engages. By a small increase of the pressure, suction tube 13 engages as well. If the suction tube is positioned, as described and shown in Figure 4, within the connector according to the invention, passages 11 located in the upper area of passage opening 1 and leading to the active substance container 11 are covered by the outer side of tube 13. The passage opening 1 is completely open. The suction flow is guided exclusively through the suction tube so that active-substance block 3 cannot get into contact with the material sucked-off and thus cannot be contaminated. When the suction process is finished, tube holder 4 is disengaged from the lower stop 6 by slightly pulling tube 13. When pulling further, the tube - 1D - holder engages in the upper arrest 5 whereby locking cone 9 provided on tube holder 4 is drawn upwardly and now locks passage opening 1. By slightly increasing the pull on tube 13, the latter disengages from the movable tube holder 4 and can be taken from the apparatus. If now water is sucked off in the common manner after the treatment, it cannot any more pass through the main passage but will rather be sucked through openings 11 and thereby flows around the activesubstance block, as shown in Figure 5. The water is thereby enriched with the active substances which will be distributed by the suction flow in the suction system. The permeability of the active-material container wall is so designed that the water is slowly sucked through the hollow space and in this manner is sufficiently enriched with the active substances.

The outer wall of the active-substance container is suitably at least partly transparent or provided with an opening which is covered by a transparent material. In this manner, it can be determined in the most simple way when the the active-substance body is used up and has to be replaced by a new active-substance body.

The connecting socket 14 provided at the lower end of the connector according to the invention is suitably so dimensioned that it can solidly be connected with the suction hose. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the outer diameter of connecting socket 14 corresponds to that of a common suction tube and hence permits the connection of the connectors of the invention to an available suction hose while no complicated alterations of the dental suction s,,-stem have to be made.

Claims

1. A method for the maintenance, cleansing and/or disinfection of suction systems in dental clinics wherein cleansing agent is sucked of f by the system in intervals in which water is conducted, prior to its entry into the suction system,, through a container in which a solid or plastic block of an active substance having maintaining, cleansing and/or disinfecting properties gets in contact with the water and releases effective substances to the water.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the water for cleansing which is sucked in is conducted to the suction system by means of a derouting means either directly or via said container containing said activesubstance block.

3. The method according to claim 2, in which operation of the derouting means is effected by slipping in a suction tube.

4. Apparatus for performing the method according to one or a plurality of claims 1 through 3, comprising a dental suction system under vacuum including a connector connected therewith for receiving said suction tube, a two-path duct f or the water used as the cleansing agent and a switch-over valve by which the water sucked in by tube is conducted either directly or through a bypass in which the water gets in contact with a solid or plastic block of an active substance which releases active substances to the water.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the switchover valve can be operated by slipping said suction tube into said connector.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which two stop positions (6) for said suction tube are provided in said connector where in position 1, the sucked-in water flows via said bypass duct in contact with said block of an effective substance and in position 2 direct flow-through is open.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which the direct flow-through duct, a valve is provided which closes the direct flow-through if suction tube is removed and opens it when the suction tube is slipped in.

8. Apparatus according to one of claims 4 through 7, in which the connecting socket for the suction system provided at the lower end of said connector corresponds to that of a common suction tube.

9. Apparatus according to one or a plurality of claims 4 through 8, in which the container for the active substance provided in the bypass duct is at least partly transparent.

10. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. Apparatus substantially as hereinbef ore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.