The CDC issued a health advisory Oct. 31 warning of a bacteria in dental waterlines after recent infections linked to a pediatric dental office.
Eight things to know:
1. The advisory comes after multiple children who visited pediatric dental clinics were infected with nontuberculous Mycobacteria.
2. There were two confirmed outbreaks in 2015 and 2016, but the most recent suspected outbreak occurred in March.
3. The March outbreak consisted of patients of the same dental facility.
4. According to the CDC, the bacteria is found naturally in soil, dust and water but can clump together in moist environments and stick to surfaces, forming biofilms that are difficult to eliminate.
5. The CDC states that these pathogens are typically not transmitted person to person.
6. Dental waterlines are at high risk of developing these biofilms because of their small diameter, low flow rates and frequent periods of stagnation.
7. In the 2015 and 2016 outbreaks, some infected children were left with permanent tooth loss, hearing loss, facial nerve palsy and incision fibrosis.
8. The CDC's investigation into the March outbreak is ongoing, but it was revealed that the microbial counts in a dental waterline at the practice were higher than the recommended level.