Waterline Test Kit Apparatus and Related Methods

Abstract

The invention relates to a testing kit to test dental unit waterlines to meet the CDC water safety monitoring guideline using EPA compliant standards.

The CDC recommends water used in non-surgical procedures to be delivered from dental unit waterlines that follow the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) standard for safe drinking, which contain less than or equal to 500 colony forming units of heterotrophic bacteria per milliliter of water (500 CFU/mL).

The goal of the invention is the development of a cost effective in-office test kit to monitor the safety of dental unit waterlines by following suggested EPA protocol of counting bacteria colonies after bacteria has gone through an incubation period.

Claims

1. Water Test Kit of current claim, wherein the device utilizes specified wavelength spectrums of infrared (wavelengths from 700 nanometers to 1 millimeters), visible light (wavelengths from about 390 to 700 nanometers) and ultra-violet (wavelengths from 100 nanometers to 400 nanometers) or a combination of any of the former wavelength specified, then sends light through water test apparatus and water quality monitoring apparatus.

2. Waterline Test Kit, of current claim, wherein said a device has a main supporting stage or table; its center circle support a rotating stage or table to place transparent dishes or cultural plate; and allows light source box to transmit light from below.

3. Waterline Test Kit, of current claim; wherein said the use of manual rotating bar or mechanically propelled mechanism, like gears from the side, to rotate the sample rotating stage.

4. Waterline Test Kit, of current claim; is an In-Office test apparatus and method, to culture and monitor the number of bacteria colony from a portable water vessel, wherein said the use of a illuminator under the stage and an incubator.

5. Waterline Test Kit, wherein said the use of the dish or culturing plate is transparent, semi-opaque surface with a white background, whereas the culture enclosure is sealable or re-sealable on top and bottom.

6. Water Test Kit, wherein said uses on culture enclosure which diameter of circle is from one inch to six inches in length.

7. Water Test Kit, wherein said uses reflecting mirror or fiber optic cable to redirect light from above or from the side.

8. Water Test Kit, wherein said uses incubator heating element from above main stage.

9. Water Test Kit, wherein said uses photo capturing device to assist to count and record the growth of bacteria colony.

10. Water Test Kit, wherein uses 0.5 mL to 5 mL syringe or pipet to draw water from a water vessel or sample collecting container.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0063] To accomplish the objectives set forth above, the FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 all demonstrate the components of current invention, as in claim 1: illuminator light box (27), in claim 2: main stage (26) and rotating table (25), in claim 3: illuminator (27) and an incubator (41), in claim 4:

[0064] As illustrated in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are two types of sealable and re-sealable design.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 13, Normal petri dish (52) and cover (51) which has circle shape, diameter is from one inch to six inches in length is used in current invention as in claim 6. Although use of the thread mechanism or O-ring to tighten the cover and petri dish with corresponding thread can be useful, too.

[0066] As in FIG. 14, Peelplate film (53) and its base (54), has re-sealable covering, as in claim 5, similar design can be used to Seal the petri dish as well. However, current invention will also accept such a design with corresponding size rotating stage.

[0067] As seen in FIG. 8. A preferred embodiment is a light box from below the supporting stage. Variations such as using reflecting light mirror and redirect the light to illuminate from the side or above should also part of claim of current invention.

[0068] Although in FIG. 7, the illustration here describes its components of current invention; however, examples of variation have shown in FIG. 9, which depict a portion of small parts. Incubator is added as a variation.

[0069] FIG. 11 illustrated a preferred full set of water test kit. Including current invention, incubator and observing apparatus. Incubator could add a housing to encompass the test sample, which is not illustrated here and it is for a more clear explanation of current concept.

[0070] In a usual lab setting, a sample is collected from a dental office, ship to lab with ice pack and labelled. There is possible to delay or contamination during the shipping and it is used for more precise analysis of cultured colony and bacteria strains. The cost is generally high and when there is a need in isolation of certain micro-organism strain. In-office test kit is a valuable and preferred method for in office screening purpose.

[0071] In conclusion, according to the description disclosed above, the present invention has the novelty and improvement that a patent should have. And the embodiments given are only for illustrating the present invention; it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various equivalent modifications or changes without departing from the spirit of this invention, such as increasing or shape changing of the stage or color spectrum of the light, shall also fall within the scope of the appended claims.

REFERENCES CITED [REFERENCED BY]

[0072] 1. U.S. Patent Documents

TABLE-US-00001 U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,763 February 1984 Manschot U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,126 May 1987 Gould et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,475 June 1996 Ladouceur U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,346 January 2003 Monro U.S. Pat. No. 0,147,568 August 2003 Edwards U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,186B2 January 2001 Harold Moskoff WO 2005033696A1 September 2003 Carol Mary Turley; Method for water testing and devices and kit of components for use in such a method WO 1985001579A1 October 1983 Barry John Lloyd, Martin Snook; Water test kit and component, therefor

[0073] 2. CDC Guidelines:

https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/questions/dental-unit-water-quality.html

[0074] 3. EPA Standard for Safe Drinking Water:

https://safewater.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/201454937

[0075] 4. Dental Unit Waterlines, Water Quality and Boil-water Advisories:

http://www.mae.gov.nl.ca/waterres/quality/drinkingwater/advisories.html

[0076] 5. OpenCFU, an Open-Source Software to Count Cell Colonies and Other Circular Objects:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3574151/6.

[0077] 6. Evaluation of 3 dental unit waterline contamination testing methods

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4450747/7.

[0078] 7. 9215 Heterotrophic Plate Count (2004)

https://www. standardmethods.org/store/productview.cfm?productid=312

[0079] 8. Comparison of In-Office Dental Unit Waterline Test Kits (2010)

Maj Barry F. Morris, USAF DC*; Col Kraig S. Vandewalle, USAF DC*;

Donna M. Hensley, BS; Joseph A. Bartoloni, DMD, MPH

[0080] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21121503