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…
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…
Fall 2023 is upon us. The weather is slowly starting to cool. The days are getting shorter. With that, comes more circulating respiratory viruses. Recently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pressed information about being prepared…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared May 5th, 2023, to be World Hand Hygiene Day. As part of a major global effort to improve hand hygiene in healthcare, WHO launched the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands annual global campaign in 2009…
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a Consumer Update for the general public on how to use hand sanitizers safely and effectively. Hand sanitizers are regulated as over-the-counter drugs by the FDA. Besides use by the general…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends and the Dental Board of California (DBC) requires standard precautions to be used for the care of all patients regardless of their diagnoses or personal infectious status. Standard precautions in…
