The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated May 5th, 2018 as World Hand Hygiene Day. Both WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer resources for healthcare providers to practice effective hand hygiene to prevent and control…
In March 2018, the New Hampshire Board of Dental Examiners suspended a dentist from practicing dentistry for professional misconduct for “failure to follow the current guidelines of the American Dental Association” for dental infection control. According to an investigation by…
Back in September 2016, California Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 482 into law. SB 482, which takes effect on July 1, 2017, requires a California healthcare practitioner registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and authorized to prescribe,…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated April as “National Child Abuse Prevention Month”. Child abuse and neglect continues to be a huge problem in our country. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data…
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that an alarming 30% increase in emergency department visits due to opioid overdoses throughout the United States from July 2016 through September 2017. We ALL need to take…
The regulations for monitoring occupational exposure to x-ray radiation, also referred to as dosimetry, arise directly from federal regulations, 10 CFR 20, which are the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) standards. Federal radiation requirements are enforced either directly by the NRC…
Beginning in October 2014, the New Jersey Department of Health investigated and confirmed fifteen patient transmissions of bacterial endocarditis after oral surgery treatment at the same oral surgery practice. During the investigation, breaches of recommended infection control standards were identified…
Sterilization Monitoring Regular sterilizer monitoring in a dental office, when properly implemented, is an important part of infection control verification, and includes a combination of process parameters to evaluate the sterilizing conditions and the sterilizer’s effectiveness. Biological monitoring is the…
In December 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule banning 24 ingredients found in over-the-counter (OTC) antispetics used for hand hygiene in the healthcare industry. The final rule becomes effective on December 20, 2018. According…
Under new amendments to Proposition 65 warning regulations, starting on August 30, 2018, dental offices will have to comply with one or both of the following: Post one Proposition 65 warning sign at all public points of entry to the…
