Tooth extractions are needed for various reasons in dental care, but make no mistake, they aren’t anatomical waste.
At least, teeth don’t need to be discarded as anatomical waste in the same way that other soft and hard tissues need to be. Instead, teeth can be placed in standard infectious and offensive waste streams, or a specific one for amalgam, but clinicians need to know when each is appropriate.
Here is the run-down on anatomical waste requirements for dentists.
Waste classification for extracted teeth
Patients need teeth to be taken out for a number of reasons. They may have extensive caries (tooth decay, also known as cavities), damage from periodontitis or trauma, or even need an extraction for orthodontic care.
Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 (HTM 07-01) gives guidance on how to manage tooth waste. Whilst teeth are anatomical, they aren’t placed in the red waste stream that is used for body tissues and blood bags. Instead, most teeth can be considered offensive waste, and placed in the yellow and black (tiger stripe) waste stream.
Teeth are considered offensive waste when they don’t present an infectious hazard. Only whole, non-infectious teeth should be placed in tiger stripe containers.
If a tooth is broken or jagged, a dental professional should wrap the tooth carefully prior to disposal into an offensive waste bag or place it in a toothbox container to avoid puncturing a bag, creating a risk of injury. There is no sharps container for the offensive waste stream.
How to dispose of amalgam-treated teeth
Teeth with amalgam restorations are treated differently. Amalgam waste is given its own place in the HTM 07-01 waste stream as its mercury content presents a potentially significant hazard.
Unique Dental Waste Containers are used for amalgam-contaminated waste. These containers must be puncture-resistant, sealable, need to contain a mercury suppressant and must be collected by a properly qualified waste management service.
Waste stream for dental soft and hard tissue
Soft and hard tissue that is removed during dental surgeries is placed into the anatomical waste stream. This is perhaps the easiest for clinicians to identify. Containers are red, must be made of a rigid material, and also marked clearly as anatomical.
Clinicians may need this waste stream when performing surgical procedures such as a gingivectomy, alongside other conventional treatments.
Osseous material must also be designated as anatomical waste. This may be removed during complex surgical procedures.
How to prepare a dental practice for anatomical waste
Anatomical waste is an expected result of dental care. Practices must have trained staff who recognise how to segregate items such as teeth, and hard and soft tissue appropriately.
There must be appropriate waste containers at each point of use. This includes offensive waste bags for non-infectious teeth, or specialist mercury-suppressant containers for amalgam-contaminated teeth, and red bins for other anatomical waste.
Initial Medical provides a range of solutions for dental practices, including rigid clinical waste containers that are colour-coded in line with HTM 07-01. Each is made from 100% recycled plastic, and is hermetically sealed to handle liquid and anatomical waste.
Clinicians can also find colour coding guide posters that are free to download from Initial Medical, which can be placed around the practice for handy reminders at points of use.
