On January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated its COVID-19 isolation guidance for California. These changes to the isolation requirements, which are incorporated into Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Standard (Title 8 California Code of Regulations Section…
In October 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 553 into law, which requires nearly all California employers, with very few exceptions, to create and implement a written workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024. The plan must be…
X-ray shielding using leaded covers is a common practice that is used to reduce radiation exposure to sensitive tissue. Specifically, shielding of reproductive organs is a long-standing practice that aims to reduce the risk of radiation-induced hereditary effects, and is…
Weekly sterilizer monitoring, using biological indicators, in a dental office is an important part of infection control verification. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association recommend, and most state dental boards require, that…
According to the DBC’s Infection Control Regulation, contaminated “critical and semi-critical instruments shall be cleaned and sterilized before use…” Instrument cleaning should be performed using manual or automated processes according to instrument manufacturer’s instructions. If instruments are not cleaned before…
With October marking the beginning of influenza (flu) and cold season and with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) continuing to circulate across the United States, control of aerosol transmissible diseases (ATDs) as well as standard precautions for infection control are essential in healthcare…
As stated in our blog article published on May 3rd, effective June 27, 2023, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requires all DEA-registered practitioners, including dentists, to meet a one-time, 8-hour training requirement on identifying, treating, and managing patients with opioid or…
In the course of treating patients, dental offices routinely use disinfectants/sterilants, corrosive materials, heavy metals, and other hazardous materials, generating small quantities of hazardous wastes that must be managed properly to prevent environmental contamination. Hazardous waste is chemical waste with…
According to an article in the May 2023 edition of Board Matters, the Dental Board of California’s (DBC’s)online news publication, the DBC will be resuming random continuing education (CE) audits of active licensees each month to ensure licensees are completing…
Recently, the US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR)announced three separate Resolution Agreements for potential violations by healthcare providers. The first incident involved a potential violation of federal civil rights laws, while the second…
