On November 28 and November 30, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released multiple alerts warning HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates about a phishing email claiming to be from the…
Cold sterilants are chemical solutions used for the purpose of destroying all forms of microbial life including bacterial spores and are used to process heat-sensitive critical and semi-critical dental instruments for reuse. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible…
For the first time in 145 years, the United States Surgeon General issued a plea specifically to healthcare providers calling them to action, and urging them to help end the country’s opioid epidemic. The call-to-action letter was published in the…
With the end of the year drawing near, it is a good time to conduct a safety walk-through of your dental clinic to examine your written operating instructions, training programs, records, and daily practices to ensure a safe workplace for…
Hand hygiene in a dental office is critical to preventing disease transmission, and must be performed frequently throughout the day. Dental healthcare personnel must wash their hands with plain soap and water at the start and end of each workday,…
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) recently announced that International Infection Prevention Week is scheduled for October 16-22, 2016. The goal of the initiative is to raise awareness and to promote infection control and prevention in…
In California, dental offices with ten or more employees that utilize substances on California’s Proposition 65 List must post up to three separate signs notifying employees and visitors of the hazards. The three signs are for restorative materials, nitrous oxide,…
All dental offices nationwide must ensure they are complying with OSHA’s new Hazard Communication Standard (Hazcom) by June 1. All dentists in California authorized to prescribe controlled substances must register with CURES 2.0 by July 1. June 1, 2016 On…
One factor commonly overlooked in choosing a surface disinfectant is the overall safety of the product to the environment and to staff members who are exposed to it daily over many years. Stronger, i.e. more toxic, disinfectants are not necessarily…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on April 8th confirming the transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus among 20 pediatric dental patients from contaminated dental unit waterlines (DUWLs). The outbreak was caused by biofilm-contaminated water in…
