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"Brush your teeth!", parents command their children all over the world. But only by controlling the quality of the brushing methods as well as the quality of the toothpaste can the desired effect — healthy teeth be achieved.
A team of Chinese doctors working in connection with the World Health Organisation proved this point. In China three quarters of pre-school children already develop caries and have on average 4 decayed teeth. Especially in rural areas children and parents have little knowledge about oral health prevention.
To show the good effect of quality controlled oral health prevention, the 3-year-olds of five kindergartens in Miyun County (Beijing) received oral health education every month and brushed their teeth twice daily under supervision. The parents also got some information during several meetings.
In these five and in five other kindergartens the teeth of all children were clinically examined, but in the other five kindergartens — the control group — no other activities took place.
After two years all children from the ten kindergartens were clinically examined again and it could be shown that those who cared for their teeth under controlled circumstances had about one third less caries or decayed teeth.
Quality control in health prevention often means the usage of modern laboratories and sophisticated analytical procedures to make sure, for instance, that foodstuff sold in shops is safe for consumption. Sometimes it can also mean just doing what your parents or teachers tell you: "Brush your teeth!"
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Industrial microbiological control - Protecting consumer health
The food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are required to control the microbiological quality and composition of their products. The industrial microbiology laboratory tests the sterility of a product (absence of microorganisms) or the absence of pathogenic bacteria (which cause infections), as well as ensuring that commensal bacteria (normally present in man and harmless in small quantities) are only present in quantities under a certain limit. Industrial microbiological controls are therefore performed throughout the production chain from raw materials to finished products, as well as in the manufacturing environment.
The French company bioMérieux is one of the world leaders in the field of industrial microbiological controls. In Europe, bioMérieux is the leading manufacturer of ready-to-use culture media. The company also has two culture media production sites in the Asia-Pacific region (Saitama, Japan and Brisbane, Australia).
bioMérieux provides a broad range of solutions for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries in the fields of food safety, quality control, traceability, as well as sterility controls, water controls and environmental controls.
Below are two examples of industrial requirements for which bioMérieux provides solutions :
Detection of Salmonella
Salmonella enteritidis is the strain of Salmonella that causes foodborne illness. In recent years, it has become the single most common cause of food poisoning. Salmonella enteritidis infections are generally traced back to dairy, poultry and meat products. Chickens and eggs are particularly high risk foods. Salmonella infection symptoms are usually gastrointestinal, and can include nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, generally lasting up to 7 days. In immuno-compromized people, Salmonella infections can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics. Testing for Salmonella in food products before they reach the consumer market is an example of food safety management.
Manufacturing sterile products
Strict regulations govern certain products, such as intravenous therapeutic drugs, which must be guaranteed to be sterile before commercialization. Sterility can be guaranteed by performing tests on raw materials, during the production process, and on final products. Rigorous sterility controls provide quality assurance, and safeguard the consumer.
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