Quality control for diagnostic oral microbiology laboratories in European countries

摘要

Participationindiagnosticmicrobiologyinternalandexternalqualitycontrol(QC)processesisgoodlaboratorypracticeandanessentialcomponentofaqualitymanagementsystem.However,noQCschemefordiagnosticoralmicrobiologyexisteduntil2009whentheClinicalOralMicrobiology(COMB)Networkwascreated.AttheEuropeanOralMicrobiologyWorkshopin2008,12laboratoriesprocessingclinicaloralmicrobiologicalsampleswereidentified.AllthesewererecruitedtoparticipateintothestudyandsixlaboratoriesfromsixEuropeancountriescompletedboththeonlinesurveyandthefirstQCround.Threeadditionallaboratoriesparticipatedinthesecondround.Basedonthesurvey,Europeanoralmicrobiologylaboratoriesprocessasignificant(meanperlaboratory4,135)numberofdiagnosticsamplesfromtheoralcavityannually.AmajorityofthelaboratoriesdidnotparticipateinanyinternalorexternalQCprogrammeandnearlyhalfofthelaboratoriesdidnothavestandardoperatingproceduresfortheteststheyperformed.InbothQCrounds,therewasalargevariationintheresults,interpretationandreportingofantibioticsusceptibilitytestingamongthelaboratories.Inconclusion,theresultsofthisstudydemonstratetheneedforharmonisationoflaboratoryprocessingmethodsandinterpretationofresultsfororalmicrobiologyspecimens.TheQCroundshighlightedthevalueofexternalQCinevaluatingtheefficacyandsafetyofprocesses,materialsandmethodsusedinthelaboratory.Theuseofstandardisedmethodsisalsoaprerequisiteformulti-centreepidemiologicalstudiesthatcanprovideimportantinformationonemergingmicrobesandtrendsinanti-microbialsusceptibilityforempiricalprescribinginoro-facialinfections.Keywords:diagnostics;multicentre;oralmicrobiology;periodontitis;endodontic;periodontalpocket;rootcanal;qualitycontrol(Published:9November2011)Citation:JournalofOralMicrobiology2011,3:8395-DOI:10.3402/jom.v3i0.8395