Level of Linting
According to the manufacturer, SafeGauze nonwoven
sponges are nonlinting. When the 9 hygienists
who participated in this evaluation were asked to
rate the sponges on their level of linting, 7 rated
them as excellent, 1 rated them as very good, and 1
rated them as good. One evaluator said that she saw
“no linting evident,” while another evaluator commented
that “some had slight lint.” A third evaluator
said, “This sponge is terrific. I gave some to the
dentist I work with and she loved them too…no lint
whatsoever.”
Level of Linting
According to the manufacturer, SafeGauze nonwoven
sponges are nonlinting. When the 9 hygienists
who participated in this evaluation were asked to
rate the sponges on their level of linting, 7 rated
them as excellent, 1 rated them as very good, and 1
rated them as good. One evaluator said that she saw
“no linting evident,” while another evaluator commented
that “some had slight lint.” A third evaluator
said, “This sponge is terrific. I gave some to the
dentist I work with and she loved them too…no lint
whatsoever.”
Level of Absorption
Medicom describes SafeGauze nonwoven sponges
as highly absorbent, making them ideal for restorative
scaling procedures. The evaluators were asked to
rate the sponges on their level of absorption. Seven
evaluators rated the sponges as excellent, 1 rated
them as very good, and 1 rated them as fair. The evaluator
who rated the level of absorption as fair said,
“With no filling to speak of, absorption was minimal.
I found myself using more of the gauze.” Another
evaluator described the sponges as having “excellent
wicking, although the thinness of the sponge did not
allow it to hold as much material as previous sponges
we have used.” However, a third evaluator said,
“This product has the absolute best absorption of any
sponge I have used.” And a fourth evaluator
described the sponges as having “excellent absorption…
great for scaling and root planing patients and
heavy bleeding patients.”
Tissue Adherence
Medicom says that SafeGauze is
nonadherent. When the evaluators were
asked to rate the product’s level of
adherence to tissue, 5 rated it as excellent,
2 rated it as very good, and 1 rated
it as good. One evaluator said, “The
SafeGauze did not adhere to the tissue…
it was easy to glide along the gingiva
to remove the blood.”
Softness
According to the manufacturer,
SafeGauze sponges are extra soft for
patient comfort. When the evaluators
were asked to rate the softness of the
SafeGauze sponges, all 9 rated them as
excellent, giving the product a perfect
score in this category. One hygienist
evaluator said the sponges are “comfortably
soft…no complaints were
made by any patients.” Another evaluator
said she “really liked the texture
and softness” of the sponges. A third
evaluator said, “Outstanding, even the
patients loved it.”
Staff Satisfaction
The evaluators were asked to rate
SafeGauze nonwoven sponges on staff
satisfaction. Six rated the sponges as
excellent, 2 rated them as very good,
and 1 rated them as good. One evaluator
said, “All staff members commented
on how nice the product was. Most
didn’t realize that there were better
quality products out there and felt that
these were significantly better than the
brand we use.” Another evaluator said,
“Overall, everyone liked the product.”
A third evaluator said, “The dentist in
the office prefers a traditional style cotton
gauze for his use on patients, but
the 2 hygienists were very happy with
the SafeGauze.”
Overall Satisfaction
When the evaluators were asked if
they would recommend SafeGauze nonwoven
sponges to colleagues, 7 said definitely,
1 said probably, and 1 said that she
wasn’t sure. Eight evaluators said that
they would definitely or probably purchase
the sponges in the future. When
asked to give their overall satisfaction rating
for SafeGauze nonwoven sponges, 7
rated them as excellent, 1 rated them as
very good, and 1 rated them as fair. One
evaluator said, “I have heard nothing but
good things about this gauze since we
started using it.” Another said, “The
entire staff prefers this product to what
we were using and will probably switch.”
