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Building Design for Animals
Article by Paul Gladysz, AIA, NCARB, CSI, ICC
Adding to Your Practice: Veterinary Dental Space
“Excellent dental care for canine and feline patients requires an efficient, organized, and safe work environment.” – 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
Pet dental care has become one of the fastest growing service offerings in the veterinary hospital. Whether dental is being included in the plans for a new hospital, or the service is being integrated into an existing facility, there are considerations to be made for a well-designed dental area.
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has published guidelines for the dental care of dogs and cats which outlines AAHA's comprehensive approach to supporting companion animal practices in improving pet oral health, which in turn can improve a pet's quality of life. These guidelines include Facility Requirements for the proper dental care environment; requirements which BDA's designs take into account.
AAHA's Facility Requirements include:
- Space – having a dedicated space in a low-traffic area separate from the sterile surgical suite to safeguard against the environmental contamination that occurs during many dental procedures.
- Ventilation – appropriate ventilation for staff safety, odor and pathogen/contaminate control.
- Anesthetic scavenging – waste anesthesia gas disposal (WAGD) is necessary for safety.
- Vision – adequate surgical lighting and magnification for dental procedures.
- Tables – a procedure table impervious and sanitizable, which also allows for drainage of water produced by dental services.
BDA's projects feature design solutions to meet these guidelines for our clients. Every practice is unique and different and there is never a "catch-all" solution, but by taking the AAHA guidelines and developing our own standards, BDA offers these considerations when designing a dental area.
Space
Dental cleanings will aerosolize bacteria so separation from sterile surgery is a given (as in the AAHA guidelines), but other treatment stations should also be protected. If the floorplan and/or existing space allows, a separate room adjacent to, or an alcove off of, treatment is the most ideal solution for a dental area. Otherwise, dental needs a place that is out of the main traffic flow, but close to the treatment area. Dental should not be disruptive to treatment room activity, but proximity is important as staff doing the cleanings need immediate access to doctors should an issue arise.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation is very important to have in a dental area to protect staff during procedures and contribute to odor and pathogen control. A room or ceiling exhaust fan located above the dental table will help create a negative air pressure to minimize bacteria and odor spread. Since it will only be necessary when there are active procedures, the fan can be controlled on a simple on/off switch; available when needed, energy saving when turned off.
Anesthetic Scavenging
Safely removing anesthetic waste gas from the procedure area is necessary. If canisters are not being used, then an active WAGD system is highly recommended. Central WAGD systems are available for a relatively small investment; this important safety feature can serve not just the dental area, but treatment and surgery as well.
Vision
Clear visualization for oral treatments and surgery is a must. Ceiling mounted exam fixtures have been the long-standing traditional way to supply lighting in dental, and that is still common today. How this lighting has been improved upon is by LED lamping which have made them much more efficient and cooler (temperature), with adjustable brightness.
Gaining in popularity is the use of loupes which provide lighting and magnification and can be made to fit prescription glasses.
Tables
There are a few options for dental procedure tables, each with pros and cons.
Option 1: Plumbed wet table – Flexible option, this table can be used for other types of procedures such as endoscopy. These are more expensive overall as cost includes not only the equipment, but also the waste and supply piping.
Option 2: Collection table – Increasing in popularity, these tables are generally height-adjustable with casters that allow the table to be moved or repositioned easily. Ergonomic, and with many more choices over wet tables, collection tables can also be less costly.
Option 3: Lift wet tables – these can give the best of both options, but they are at the very upper end of the cost range.
Space, Ventilation, Anesthetic Scavenging, Vision and Tables are five factors to consider when incorporating dental into a veterinary practice. These Facility Requirements, as noted in the AAHA Dental Care Guidelines, can help make a practice's oral health services safer, more efficient, and better organized.
There are more factors to consider when adding dental to your practice, such as x-ray machines, dental equipment and storage, space setup and more. The best thing that can be done for you, your staff and your patients is to consult with an experienced veterinary hospital designer to make sure that your dental space is well-designed.
Find out more:
Visit the AAHA website to read the AAHA Dental Care Guidelines.
For more on the design of veterinary dental spaces read Paul Gladysz's article Considerations for adding a dedicated veterinary dental space on dvm360.
