Effectiveness of isopropyl alcohol and ultraviolet-based sanitiser on decontamination of mobile phones used by dental personnel

Introduction: Mobile phones have become an inevitable mode of communication. Dental office and the dental operators along with their mobile phones are exposed to numerous pathogens as a part of their profession, leading to nosocomial infection. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of isopropyl alcohol and a customised ultraviolet-based (UV) sanitiser in decontamination of mobile phones. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 30 touch screen mobile phones belonging to dental professionals in a college setting. Swabs were collected along the screen, camera lens and on/off buttons of mobile phones. Swabs were streaked onto nutrient agar and incubated at 37°C for 24 h for the assessment of microbial load before and after the disinfection procedures. The disinfection process was performed using 70% isopropyl alcohol and an UV-based sanitiser. Mann—Whitney U-test was used to compare the values between the two groups. Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used to compare values within each group Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of colonies (P = 0.001) after decontamination by the two groups (isopropyl alcohol and UV-based sanitiser) indicating that both agents were effective in disinfection. Conclusion: The study concluded that the percentage reduction in microbial load of the mobile phones was better with isopropyl alcohol compared to UV-based sanitiser. It is recommended that mobile phones in the dental setup be regularly decontaminated and dentists must adhere to strict infection control protocols specifically in relation to hand hygiene.