With the end of the year drawing near, as we prepare to usher in 2025, December is a good time to review and evaluate office safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance and their effectiveness. Using a safety assessment checklist…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published recommended best practices to prevent infections during oral surgical procedures. The CDC defines surgical procedures as those that involve the incision, excision, or reflection of skin or oral mucosa…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) establishes recommendations for all dental healthcare personnel to follow to ensure proper infection prevention and control in dental settings. On its Oral Health website, the CDC has published valuable best practice…
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) is observed each year from November 18th-24th. This year’s USAAW theme is "Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us.” According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antimicrobial resistance happens when germs,…
In September 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 1453, the Dental Board of California’s (DBC’s) sunset review bill, was chaptered into California law, which codifies substantial changes to the 8-hour infection control course requirements established under Business and Professions Code section 1755.…
On October 25, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) published its October 2024 Cybersecurity Newsletter. The Newsletter provides valuable information on how to minimize cyber threats from “social engineering”, which is defined…
The California Medical Information Act (CMIA), which differs slightly from the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), was updated in 2004 to require healthcare providers to obtain annual written authorization from a patient for certain disclosures of protected…
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all chemical containers in a dental office to be labeled with either the original (primary) manufacturer’s label or a secondary label. A color-coded system is not required. If a chemical is…
In the United States, under the authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sole responsibility to establish and enforce the rules for efficacy claims and safety of surface disinfectants. Under…
The flu season is beginning in the United States. Flu activity often begins to increase in October, peaking between December and February. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends that everyone 6 months and older should get…
