DenMat Helps Practices Get Back To Work With New Infection Control Line

Infection control is serious business, especially today. How well do you know the companies behind the products you use? DenMat opens up about their history, processes and how they’re responding to changing times with a new infection control line.

David J. Casper, MBA

Small things can add up to big differences in patient experience, and dental offices are no different. Your team can facilitate a safer process and a safety-first culture with more protection and less contact.

Eighty percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by touch, according to Infection Control Today and the British Colombia Centre for Disease Control. Therefore, the products you use to clean and sanitize those surfaces are of the utmost importance.

Pre-Covid, you might have known little about the companies who manufacture your practice’s products. Of course, we’re living in a new world now. Maybe it’s time to invest a few minutes and find out more about the level of care, time and effort companies invest to develop and manufacture their products, and what steps they’re taking to assure quality and consistency. At DenMat, we’ve always been transparent, and especially now, we want you to know what we’re doing to be a partner you can trust.

Highest Standards
DenMat manufactures a broad range of products, from dental materials and equipment to premium oral hygiene products, and has a high-end esthetic laboratory focused almost exclusively on complex full arch esthetic restorations.

The company is ISO 13485 certified, VAWD accredited for the distribution of drug level products, has an FDA Drug Establishment License, and has over 400 employees, with corporate headquarters in Central California. Our infection control products are made in our manufacturing facility in California, under FDA guidelines.

Entry into Infection Control
Like every other dental manufacturer and lab, DenMat has been impacted by Covid-19. The need for hand sanitizer has been very well covered in the media, and once the FDA provided updated guidance on the manufacture of sanitizer, it was clear to DenMat that our company needed to convert part of our production facility to manufacture infection control products. Manufacturing hand sanitizer started in late March. Compounding, mixing and bottle filling is a core competency for DenMat, which made for a natural transition bringing hand sanitizer to market.

The first batch of hand sanitizer went to employees and to local first responders such as the Lompoc Police Department. The product line has been extremely well received, and the company has an extremely robust supply chain—meaning Benco Dental always has plenty of inventory to support you.

Hand Sanitizer
DenMat’s liquid hand sanitizer is formulated with an antiseptic 80% alcohol solution and far exceeds the minimum requirement to be effective against viruses. Upon launching the sanitizer, DenMat quickly began receiving inquiries from institutional buyers who were asking for multiple sizes and packaging configurations. Currently, five sizes are available: 5 oz., 8 oz., 16 oz., and one-gallon bottles.

Offering a variety of sizes has allowed Den-Mat to expand services to customers that are typically not part of our core dental products business. Customers like Lockheed Martin, California Highway Patrol, City National Bank, Hilton Hotels and Nomad Goods sought Den-Mat out because of our reputation for manufacturing high quality medical devices and drugs.

Dental practices throughout North America are now using DenMat hand sanitizer to comply with the ADA guidelines as outlined in the recently published Return to Work Toolkit. The 16 oz. and one-gallon refill configurations are especially convenient and, in most cases, located in the office reception area as well as in each operatory for both patient and staff use and extensively to control infection.

Surface Cleanser and Oral Rinse
After Hand Sanitizer, DenMat quickly introduced a hard surface cleanser because the same customers who were interested in sanitizer were in need of surface disinfectants. DenMat’s surface cleanser contains an industrial surfactant along with 1.5% bleach. It is effective against viruses and is available in a pack of two 32 oz. spray bottles.

In further alignment with the ADA Return to Work Toolkit, DenMat recently launched a 1.5% hydrogen peroxide oral rinse to assist with practice recovery by promoting a safe environment for the dental office staff and their patients. DenMat’s oral rinse is alcohol-free and formulated to significantly reduce bacteria in the mouth. The foaming action created by the release of oxygen inhibits bacteria growth and also aids in the removal of oral debris and healing of minor mouth irritations. Practices are using the oral rinse as an infection control agent by requiring patients to rinse prior to and after treatment. The large half-gallon and gallon bottles with dispensing pumps are ideal for this chairside application. DenMat also offers a convenient 16 oz. size for patient at-home care.

Outlook
DenMat’s new infection control line provides a convenient way for practices to ensure a safe recovery as they reopen their practices to pa-tients. We’re prepared to meet the needs of dental offices in this ever-changing operating environment, and service the industry amid any future environmental challenges.