Electronic Records, Digital X-Rays Are Eco-Friendly Changes

A list of green infection control suggestions for dental practices has been compiled by Chris Miller, PhD. According to Dr Miller, examples of negative environmental impacts related to infection control measures in our dental practices come from discarding chemicals, generating waste, not using products made from recycled materials, wasting water, and consuming excess energy. Two major classes of eco-friendly practices that involve high-tech solutions follow.  Paper Use: We need to reduce paper use in our practices. This suggestion is being widely implemented in the dental world via use of electronic files, resulting in a net greenhouse emissions reduction that parallels the size of the practice. For each ton of paper saved, we save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 4000 gallons of water, which represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60-lb reduction in air pollution. In addition, the 17 living trees sav more...