While rare, this is where the real-world consequences show up.
One of the most significant examples comes from paediatric dentistry:
A cluster of invasive infections linked to contaminated dental waterlines
Several outbreaks internationally (the US cases being the most documented) involved children who developed serious Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections after pulpotomies in clinics with heavily contaminated DUWLs.
The resulting illnesses required:
- long courses of antibiotics,
- surgical treatment, and
- sometimes hospitalisation.
Although the UK has not yet seen a high-profile case like this published, the conditions that created those outbreaks — warm waterlines, poor maintenance, high biofilm loads — exist everywhere, including here.
Add in the knowledge that dental waterlines can host antibiotic-resistant organisms, and suddenly the “ugly” becomes unavoidable:
If a practice lets its water safety slip, a dental chair can become a point of real clinical risk.
No dentist wants that headline. No patient expects that possibility.