Analysis of the Causes of Failures in a Dental Unit in Primary Health Care

Failure cause analysis is an essential tool for Clinical Engineering. One of the essential equipment in dental care in Primary Health Care is the Dental Unit. Due to its importance, the study of the causes of failures to elucidate the main risks associated with this equipment in users is necessary to assist in its safe use based on evidence. The identification of failures occurred through a survey of open service orders in the Health Centers of Florianópolis, Brazil. Data were stratified, categorized with respect to fault location. A total of 77 failure modes were categorized and the failure mode with the highest occurrence was hose leak, followed by unregulated pressure valve and clogged venturi and debris filter. It was observed that approximately 70% occurred in the following parts of the technology: dental element (including hand instruments) and water unit. For the failure mode with the highest occurrence rate, hose leak, the quality tool, Ishikawa Diagram, was applied to determine the main causes of failures and presented some risk mitigation strategies. This study consolidated the importance of analyzing failures retrospectively to establish risk mitigation strategies prospectively, in order to improve quality and safety for the end user of the technology.