If small insects or rodents make your skin crawl, this may not be the article for you – but it could help your dental practice avoid catastrophe.
In dental care, procedural single use plastics alone make up an approximate 13.3 tonnes of waste per year;[i] in hospitals, the NHS clinical waste strategy estimates that every bed creates 4.5kg of waste per day, with total annual waste to reach 200,000 tonnes in 2029/30.[ii] These large volumes of waste need to be managed safely to protect clinicians, patients, and the wider environment – but also because of the risks they present for pest infestation.
Keeping vermin away from dental practices is paramount to patient and clinician safety, and is possible with knowledge of appropriate waste management routines, and pest control measures.
Infestation prevalence
It’s important to realise just how significant this problem is. NHS hospitals saw 6,666 pest infestation incidences in 2023/24 alone (averaging 18 per day), and a total of 18,877 over the period 2021-2024.[iii] The management of such problems is time consuming, and a financial burden – £3.7 million was spent over the 2021-24 period to call out pest control and deal with infestations.iii These findings are only compounded by the fact that this does not include complete data from every NHS Foundation Trust. The scale of the problem, for all we know, is larger than we can imagine.
Pests in urban environments are positively affected by the presence of human food waste, the feeding of birds and animals, and a low volume of larger predators.[iv] Waste types that are found at the dental practice and other healthcare services may serve as food sources, breeding grounds or dwellings.
NHS England recognises that pest control and management is essential for safe and hygienic care.[v] Vermin can create health risks, damage the environment and food products, and undermine the reputation and public confidence in a healthcare provider.v It is the responsibility of the dental practice to minimise the presence of pests in the area, and this is possible with appropriate actions in line with current guidance and regulations.
Pest control
There are many actions that the dental practice must take to minimise the threat of pest infestation. This includes the use of pest contractors, and proper waste management around the practice site.
Licensed specialist contractors for pest control are recommended by NHS England, and must be prepared to work safely and legally when addressing pest concerns.v This support should cover internal and external areas, but prioritise clinical areas first and foremostv – this includes dental surgeries, decontamination rooms and laboratories.
A contractor could act on a proactive or reactive basis, or a mix of the two. A proactive service would include routine visits to monitor, bait and inspect pest risks, which helps practices be aware of the developing threats in the local environment and on site, whereas a reactive service will include call-outs when evidence of a pest is identified.v Such evidence could include the sighting of a pest, animal droppings, or animal-made damage to property or equipment. The dental team must act in line with health and safety legislation, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).v This includes the use of pesticides only where appropriate.
Waste management
Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 (HTM 07-01) is essential guidance for clinical waste management, but it also acknowledges the need to prevent pest infestations. It notes that infectious wastes that are not pharmaceutical, chemical, anatomical or palletised wastes – think infected PPE, single-use sharps, infectious dressings and swabs – must be stored in a secure building.[vi] This should be indoors (though outdoors is acceptable if extra needs are met), and an appropriate site-specific risk assessment should be carried out to determine the chance of attracting and hosting pests.
Simple steps around the practice can also reduce the risks presented by pests. Bagged waste, in line with HTM 07-01, should be stored in fully enclosed, lockable, rigid, leak-proof and weatherproof containers.vi This stops pests piercing bags which may be easily penetrable.
Initial Medical, UK dentistry’s ultimate source of support for healthcare waste management, provides clinicians with lockable yellow wheelie bins, which range in size from 240L – 1100L, keeping hazardous and non-hazardous waste safe. Consider also installing an Initial Medical Wheelie Bin Sanitiser Station at each point of use, which reduces the risk of contamination within the practice, but can also be a good reminder to secure and lock the clinical waste bin, preventing access for pests.
Pest control is an essential aspect of practice management, and requires clinical teams to keep on top of their waste workflows. By understanding and implementing the guidelines and regulations that affect healthcare services, run-ins with pests can be of minimal concern.
To find out more, get in touch at 0808 304 7411 or visit the website today www.initial.co.uk/medical
Author:
Rebecca Waters has worked in the healthcare sector for the past 20 years and earned a BSc Chemistry (Hons) prior to joining Rentokil Initial in 2003. She works within the Research and Development team and keeps up-to-date on all changes within the clinical waste management industry, as well as the specialist hygiene and infection control industries, and is an active member of the CIWM and HWMA. Following roles as an Analytical Chemist and Hygiene Chemist, she has worked in a variety of leading marketing roles since 2006, making her an expert within the industry. She is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, an FCIM. Rebecca loves spending time outdoors and in the water – whether walking, camping, or swimming – and completed a focus on environmental studies during her university degree. She is proud to be pushing a sustainability agenda throughout her work.
About Initial Medical
Initial Medical set the standard in healthcare and infectious waste management in the UK, providing a reliable, effective and fully compliant service built around customer needs and delivered by our highly trained local teams. We are ISO 9001:2015 accredited, with technology fully integrated into our operations, providing full traceability of service delivery, electronic waste documentation and the best customer experience possible. We also offer innovative healthcare waste management services and infection control products, to help break the chain of transmission and prevent cross contamination.
Initial Medical are a company with a ‘World Class’ Health and Safety record, and ISO 45001:2018 accreditation. We are also accredited to ISO 14001:2015 environmental standards, and pride ourselves on our sustainable approach with a focus on delivering eco-friendly products and operational solutions.
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[i] Martin, N., Mulligan, S., Fuzesi, P., & Hatton, P. V. (2022). Quantification of single use plastics waste generated in clinical dental practice and hospital settings. Journal of Dentistry, 118, 103948.
[ii] NHS England, (2023). NHS clinical waste strategy. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-clinical-waste-strategy/ [Accessed March 2025]
[iii] Liberal Democrats, (2024). Hospital Pest Control FOI – Liberal Democrats. (Online) Available at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_S4SoU3d2hUSGdDR6PftlVnnXpGRjFSCL79Gkj3lu7s/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [Accessed March 2025]
[iv] Baker, P. J., & Harris, S. (2007). Urban mammals: what does the future hold? An analysis of the factors affecting patterns of use of residential gardens in Great Britain. Mammal review, 37(4), 297-315.
[v] NHS England, (2025). National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025: pest control. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-of-healthcare-cleanliness-2025-pest-control/ [Accessed March 2025]
[vi] NHS England, (2022). Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf [Accessed March 2024]
