Answer:
- Since most dental health care workers are expected to reuse their face shields, it is important to understand how to clean and disinfect this personal protective equipment (PPE). Proper and effective cleaning is a hot topic online. Typically, the comments are off-the-cuff and anecdotal.
Explanation:
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Understanding face shield maintenance—practical steps to insure cleanliness and optical clarity
Dental professionals, are you wondering how to clean your face shield without ruining it? Read this practical discussion from Anne Guignon.
Anne Nugent Guignon, MPH, RDH, CSP
May 28th, 2020
Dreamstime M 179818538
© Kamil Macniak | Dreamstime.com
Since most dental health care workers are expected to reuse their face shields, it is important to understand how to clean and disinfect this personal protective equipment (PPE). Proper and effective cleaning is a hot topic online. Typically, the comments are off-the-cuff and anecdotal.
Last week I spent hours trying to get answers to these questions. I contacted numerous distributors and manufacturers and quite honestly there was very little consensus regarding how to care for these devices, but here is what I learned.
Plastic face shields
- The actual face shield material is some type of plastic, but that is where the similarity ends. Shields are made with a variety of materials, including polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PET or polyester). Some materials are more rigid than others and some shields are more scratch-resistant, prolonging the overall life of the shield. Optical clarity in a plastic shield is also critical.
