Further to the article Our complete service is unique (Vital spring 2008 pages 36-37), I really find it amazing that the ‘proverbial’ plastic bib appears in the article with a photograph of the patient. I wonder if this is changed for each patient or, as I suspect, reused with cross contamination issues. Perhaps it has even just been brought out for the picture by the look of it. I would comment that a truly twenty-first century dental practice should use DISPOSABLE bibs, especially highlighted by the other article At the sharp end of general dental practice (Vital spring 2008 pages 40-43), in the same issue regarding blood borne viruses.

I note that these bibs appear with frequent regularity in many high profile articles and pictures. Back to basics I think!

Dan Shaffer, the dentist featured in the above-mentioned article, responds: the bib was fresh out of the packet for the photoshoot and at present we are using them as one use only bibs and so therefore they do not constitute any kind of cross infection risk.