According to a recent survey conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), over a quarter of private dental practices who participated in the survey did not have…
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a weak anesthetic gas used with oxygen during dental treatment, commonly used to control pain and anxiety in dental patients. A recent news release by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a Division…
Recently, a California dental office was cited by their local agency responsible for enforcing hazardous waste laws for disposing of a corrosive chemical waste down the drain. The chemical was called Tartar and Stain Remover, which is used to clean…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) released new online educational resources to help healthcare entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to respond to a cyber-related security attack. The…
In early June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reinstated the final rule on effluent limitations for dental offices to reduce the discharge of mercury and other metals from dental offices down the sewer drain to publically owned treatment works…
Dentists are required to post in the office, and distribute to each patient no later than the first appointment date, a Notice of Privacy Practices, which is a formal, written document summarizing the legal duties of the dental practice to…
The California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) requires all employers, including dental offices, to inform employees about state laws governing wages, working hours, and working conditions by posting the applicable Wage Order in the place of business. IWC Wage Order No.…
One of the current best management practices for managing dental amalgam in wastewater, recommended universally among dental organizations, is the prohibition on the use of dental vacuum line cleaners that promote the release of mercury from the vacuum lines. Specifically,…
Under universal/standard precautions, OSHA deems that all teeth must be assumed to be potentially infectious. As such, they must be handled safely, to prevent the potential for occupational transmission of disease to employees who come into contact with them. However,…
Effective April 1, 2017 as Section 3342 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, Cal/OSHA’s Violence Prevention in Health Care regulation requires specified health care facilities to establish workplace violence prevention plans to protect health care personnel from…
