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…
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.…
The , formerly known as the Organization for Safety and Asepsis (OSAP), is sponsoring Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM) in September, asking stakeholders to support and promote dental safety throughout the month. The theme for 2024 is "Embracing a…
Each year, respiratory viruses are responsible for millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. In addition to the virus that causes COVID-19, there are many other types of respiratory viruses, including influenza (flu) and…
Sterilizer monitoring in a dental office, when properly implemented, is an important part of infection control verification. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association (ADA) recommend, and most state dental boards require, dental…
Infection control is necessary for protection of dental healthcare personnel and patients. Keep hands clean. Cleaning your hands regularly with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water is a simple yet effective tool to stop the spread of germs.…
Most state dental boards require dental offices to verify proper sterilizer function at least weekly using a biological indicator, such as a spore test. However, because spore tests are only performed periodically (i.e. weekly) and the results are usually not…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the media, has reported on recent outbreaks of measles cases in the United States. On March 29, CNN published a news story reporting that measles cases for March 2024…
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…
