I’m sure everyone is familiar with the hand washing protocols being recommended by all levels of government during the current Pandemic. The fact is, these protocols are only part of a much more comprehensive infection control program that has been used in every BC Dental office for years now, along with the regular donning and doffing of Face masks and gloves in between all patients.

The challenge has been determining what constitutes appropriate hand washing? Is the use of plain soapy warm water adequate or does it require the use of Antimicrobial soaps which contain either PCMX, Triclosan or CHG or does it involve the use of Soap Free Hand Sanitizers containing IsoPropyl Alcohol or Ethanol? These decisions are also heavily impacted by the concern over Antimicrobial Resistance. Another problem with these Antimicrobial Agents is that they commonly contain chemical preservatives which can severely dry out the hands and cause red, dry, cracked, peeling skin.

NANOSILVER PRODUCTS CONTAIN NO CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES

There are literally dozens and dozens of Hand Sanitizers on the market which contain Organic ingredients in order to combat the drying effect of the Ethyl or Isopropyl Alcohol – however, once these organic ingredients (many of which are Oils) have been made soluble in water a broad spectrum Preservative need to be added, in order to kill microorganisms and water-borne bacteria, and to prevent contamination from bacteria, mold and yeast which can cause degradation of the product. 

Such chemical Preservatives play a very important function in skin care products containing water but, they are themselves – potential irritants and toxins. These chemicals also generate an inflammatory response in the skin which triggers the production of free radicals which in turn starts a destructive chain of events in the skin called an inflammation cascade. Immediate effects of inflammation on the skin causes roughness, tightness, redness and spots (hyper-pigmentation). Examples of such chemicals include preservatives such as Parabens (Methylparaben), Formaldehyde Releasing Agents (Hydantoin), Phenoxyethanol (Optiphen), Isothiazolinones (Kathon) and Organic Acids such as Sodium Benzoate.  

VeraSIL Antiseptic Skin Cleanser contains NanoSilver which meets the USFDA guidelines / standard as an Anti-microbial and Anti-fungal preservative under USP 51, 21 CFR Part 58 and DO NOT CONTAIN any of the aforementioned potential irritants and chemical toxins so they are safer and healthier for use on the skin.

To summarize, there is huge advantage to having a Hand Sanitizer which has the built in Antibacterial and Antimicrobial preservative properties of NanoSilver. The addition of Hydrogen Peroxide and the IPA to the NanoSilver serves to provide even more potent antibacterial benefits while the addition of Vitamin E at the same time helps prevent premature skin drying, peeling and cracking.

For more detailed market analysis, please refer to the “Competitive Market Analysis” section on the QR Product Page of the websites listed below.

There is only one Disinfectant solution that is capable of disinfecting a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and viruses without harming the oral tissues while acting as a wound healing agent and that is a Silver technology called NanoMetallic Silver Tetrahedral Tetraoxide or “NMSTTO”. NMSTTO is a new product category with near ubiquitous applications in the Dental industry which was recently launched at the Vancouver PDC March 5-7, 2020 under the OraSIL, VeraSIL and CuraSIL brand names.

As an example of this technologies diversity, DDSource has launched a online portal named VeraSIL.com where Dental staff can access a hi-quality Skin Antiseptic called VeraSIL Antiseptic Skin Cleanser. This is the only IPA based Skin Antiseptic (cleared in Canada) which contains NanoSilver with proven anti-fungal and anti-bacterial preservative capabilities. The VeraSIL Hand Sanitizer product meets the Canadian Monograph for 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and and is proven alternative to hand washing with antibacterial soaps and water and can be used at home and at work to help protect your staff, your patients and your family. VeraSIL Antiseptic Skin Cleanser contains no harmful chemical preservatives.

Heres a PRAGMATIC SOLUTION for Dentists regarding the use of Face Masks…. If you don’t have an N95 Mask, You can Spray the inside of the Level 2 or 3 ASTM Mask with the VeraSIL Skin Antiseptic which is skin friendly and not a schedule 1 drug. As per my earlier post, the difference in the level of Protection between an N95 Mask and an ASTM F2100-2011 Level 2 or 3 Mask is negligible.

https://verasil.com/product/verasil-protective- spray/

Spraying the Level 2 or 3 Face Mask allows you to improve the overall Antimicrobial efficacy and performance of these Masks for both you or your staff. In fact, you are providing an additional level of protection using a skin friendly, NanoSilver based broad spectrum Antimicrobial agent (proven to kill MRSA, VRE, Tuberculosis smegmatis as well as a long list of oral pathogens.)

You cannot use Lysol spray or a general purpose disinfectant as a Mask Spray anymore than you can spray dilute NaOCL onto the Face Mask (unless you want to burn your lips or your eyes). You cannot use Isopropyl alcohol in this same manner because it evaporates and is not safe for oral ingestion/absorption. You can’t use a hospital grade disinfectant like Metricide, Cavicide, Glutaraldehyde or Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxidase because these are all chemotoxic to the skin and require the donning of PPE before use. VeraSIL Protective Spray is NOT Cytotoxic to humans but, is deadly to wide variety of pathogenic micro-organsisms. MY POINT: There are specific additional steps you can take to help protect yourself that won’t harm your lips, mouth, nose or eyes!

The bottom line is that some of our regulatory bodies are unaware of all the working solutions we Dentists have at our fingertips. They also know very little about the myriad of dental applications of Nanotechnology that are now commercially available. CASE & POINT: the VeraSIL Antiseptic Skin Cleanser and Protective Mask Spray which could dramatically improve the level of personal barrier protection when HCWs are forced to re-use an N95 Mask or use an ASTM Level 2 or 3 Mask.

Essentially, our BC Ministry of Health is making decisions for Dental Healthcare Professionals without ALL the material facts / solutions. This is severely impacting our ability to earn an income (for Dentists and Staff). 

I am asking for my dental peers help, to spread the word about this science based Nanotechnology solution so that we can all get back to work and help our patients and our staff! 

Don’t forget to check out the science… http://ddsource.com and http://verasil.com

Posted by Dr. Andrew Willoughby, General Dentist