USA: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that several U.S. children fallen prey to a serious infection from contaminated water lines at the dentist's office.
Although rare, outbreaks of nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections have been reported in kids treated at the dentist, one cluster in 2015 and another in 2016, the CDC says. A third cluster identified at a pediatric dental clinic recently is under investigation.
These bacteria can be found in the water lines of the dental unit and equipment
In all the cases of NTM infection following dental treatment, surgical procedures were required to resolve infections, doctors said.
"These infections can be persistent, get worse over time and may not respond to initial treatments such as incision and drainage and routine antibiotics, Neuburger said. The most common symptom is swelling in the jaw or neck. Other symptoms could include a draining abscess, pain or fever, she said.
The first line of treatment after routine antibiotics for NTM is the surgical removal of diseased tissue. These infections will more often than not, leave doctors to have no other choice but to remove sections of the jaw bone or a few baby or permanent teeth.
These infections can be severely detrimental to health and therefore dental clinic water lines need to be maintained regularly using chemical germicides to protect patients from contracting severe diseases. If not cleaned properly the narrow tubes in the equipment can become the breeding ground for numerous toxic microorganisms