A couple weeks ago, a few members of our team visited a nearby dental school where we had the opportunity to learn more about how dental professionals use and clean technology in their day-to-day work.
While there, we asked one of the instructors, “How do you handle cleaning the keyboards used around students and patients?” The answer was simple. They used disposable keyboard covers such as barrier film. The keyboards are covered before use, and the barrier is removed and replaced as needed.Â
I tried typing on a keyboard covered in barrier film myself. It worked…I mean as best as it could work. It definitely was not the same as typing directly on a keyboard. With the plastic sliding between my fingers and the keys, the experience felt just a little awkward.
This got me thinking. If typing through a plastic barrier isn’t particularly comfortable, why is it such a common solution?
Why Dental Practices Use Keyboard Barriers
The more I looked around the clinic, the more the answer started to make sense. The keyboards were fairly typical keyboards designed for everyday computer use. They weren’t necessarily built with routine cleaning and disinfection in mind. In that kind of environment, a disposable barrier provides a practical layer of protection between the keyboard and everything it encounters throughout the day. So, for a lot of dental practices and dental schools, barrier films can make a lot of sense. But there’s a tradeoff.
The Tradeoff of Disposable Keyboard Covers
A keyboard barrier isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can help protect equipment and make infection-control procedures easier to follow. The question is what happens when that solution is used day after day, patient after patient.
There’s another disposable item to manage. Every time a barrier is replaced, the old one has to be removed and discarded, and a new one is put in its place. For a busy dental practice, those small actions can add up. Also, keyboards aren’t the only pieces of technology that may be covered. Depending on the practice, barriers may also be used on mice, touchscreens, tablets, and other equipment.
It can change the user experience. Typing through plastic can feel different and difficult, and keys may feel less responsive. The material can move or bunch up as you try to enter information. And depending on the type of barrier being used, it may simply feel less comfortable for someone who spends a significant amount of time documenting patient care.
The keyboard still must be considered. A barrier protects the keyboard, but it doesn’t change what the keyboard is made of. If the barrier tears, shifts, or doesn’t completely cover the device, the underlying keyboard may still be exposed. Then when the barrier is removed, the surface underneath may still need to be cleaned and disinfected if contamination has occurred.
The Cost of a “Cheap” Disposable
One box of barrier films may not cost much, but a dental practice doesn’t typically use just one. If a keyboard is covered throughout the day and the barrier is replaced between patients or procedures, the practice can go through a significant number of covers over time.
For example, imagine a practice going through just 10 keyboard barriers per day. That’s:
- 50 barriers per a five-day workweek
- 2,600 barriers per year
- 13,000 barriers over five years
The actual number will vary depending on the practice, how often barriers are changed, and how many devices require coverage. But the point is that a small recurring expense can become much more significant when it is multiplied by hundreds of days and thousands of uses. The same is true of waste. Every used barrier eventually has to be thrown away. Over time, those individual pieces of plastic add up to a much larger amount of disposable material.
A reusable alternative changes the equation
A washable keyboard approaches the problem differently. Instead of repeatedly purchasing and disposing of a protective covering, the keyboard itself is designed to withstand cleaning and disinfection.
That doesn’t mean a washable keyboard is automatically less expensive in every situation. The cost depends on the price of the barriers, how frequently they are replaced, how many keyboards are being covered, and the cost of the washable keyboard itself. But it does change what you’re paying for.
With disposable barriers, the expense continues every time you use another one. With a washable keyboard, you’re investing in the equipment itself using and disinfecting it repeatedly. For a dental practice thinking about costs over several months or years rather than several days, that’s worth considering.Â
What Should Dental Offices Look for in a Waterproof Keyboard?
If a dental office is considering moving away from disposable keyboard barriers, they should look for a waterproof keyboard that can withstand their cleaning and disinfection routines while still being comfortable and practical for everyday use.
A few things are worth considering:
- Water and dust protection. Look at the keyboard’s IP rating to understand how well it is protected against dust and water. A higher rating can provide more flexibility when it comes to cleaning. For example, an IP68-rated keyboard offers a high level of protection against both dust and water and is designed to withstand submersion under specified conditions. For a dental practice, that can be especially useful when equipment needs to be thoroughly cleaned rather than simply wiped down.
- Disinfectant compatibility. Waterproof doesn’t automatically mean compatible with every disinfectant. Make sure the keyboard can withstand the products your practice uses and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions.
- Cleaning method. Think about how the keyboard will actually be cleaned between patients. Depending on the model, washable keyboards may be designed to be wiped, sprayed, rinsed, submerged, or even cleaned in a dishwasher.
- Typing experience. A keyboard still needs to feel like a keyboard. Key feel, responsiveness, layout, and comfort matter when staff are using it throughout the day.
- The overall setup. Size, layout, and connection type can also matter depending on the workstation and space available in the operatory.
Ultimately, the best waterproof keyboard for a dental practice or operatory is one that can handle cleaning routines without making everyday workflows more difficult.
That’s where a washable keyboard can make a difference. Seal Shield keyboards are designed for frequent cleaning and are compatible with a range of healthcare disinfectants, including Metrex, CaviCide, and CaviWipes. Depending on the model, they can be wiped down, rinsed, submerged, and even cleaned in a dishwasher.
Explore Seal Shield’s dental solutions
Does That Mean Dental Practices Should Stop Using Barriers?
Not necessarily. Barriers have an important role in infection prevention, particularly for surfaces and equipment that are difficult to clean or cannot tolerate routine disinfection. The better question may be, Which technology makes the most sense for your cleaning workflow?
For some equipment, a disposable barrier may be the right choice. For computer equipment, choosing a keyboard that can withstand repeated cleaning may eliminate the need and cost of barrier films altogether.
It’s also worth considering the long-term impact. A washable keyboard doesn’t require a new disposable cover every time one needs to be replaced. That can mean fewer consumable materials, fewer steps for staff, and a keyboard that is designed to be part of the cleaning process from the start.
A Different Way to Think About Dental Technology
Infection prevention doesn’t stop at the dental chair. As dental practices continue to rely on digital records, imaging systems, chairside computers, tablets, and other technology, those devices become part of the environment that staff interact with every day.
Dental technology should be considered alongside the cleaning workflow, not separately from it. So, the next time you see a keyboard covered in plastic, it may be worth asking, ‘Is the barrier the best solution for this particular keyboard, or could the keyboard itself be designed to handle the cleaning?’
For dental practices looking for an alternative, Seal Shield offers washable keyboards and mice designed for environments where frequent cleaning and disinfection are part of daily workflows.
