Climate change is a critical global challenge that requires action from all sectors, including healthcare. Within dentistry, there’s an urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of services and scrutinize current practices. One key area of concern is the usage of single-use plastics, which are common in dental equipment covering but not always required for preventing cross-infection.
A recent quality improvement project conducted at 12 dental practices in North London’s dental foundation training scheme sought to evaluate this issue in 2023. The objective was assessing baseline financial and environmental costs associated with the weekly use of single-use barrier plastics. Practices that were regularly using such plastics were contacted three months later to review any changes implemented.
At the onset, 10 out of the 12 practices were found to use one or more of the single-use plastics. Their estimated carbon footprints oscillated in the range of 0.07-27.02 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per week. Of these, three managed to either cut down or completely do away with single-use plastics. This shift resulted in a significant reduction of 46.87 kg CO2e per week. The utilization of single-use plastic barriers differs considerably among dental practices and carries both financial and environmental costs. Given the ambiguity in infection control guidelines related to single-use plastics, the project calls upon dental services to proactively minimize their use.
Furthermore, there’s a need for such guidelines to carefully weigh the environmental impact while making recommendations. It’s anticipated that an understanding of the financial as well as environmental benefits associated with reducing non-essential single-use plastics can serve as a catalyst for positive change. Real-world examples demonstrating the environmental and financial benefits of such reduction, along with clear directives on cross-infection guidelines relating to single-use plastics, can guide dental practices towards more sustainable operations.