California dental practices now have more flexibility in meeting infection control training requirements for unlicensed dental assistants. Senate Bill (SB) 1311 was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on September 14, 2026, and took effect immediately. The new law addresses challenges…
Do you know how long your dental practice must keep employee medical and exposure records? Because occupational illnesses may not become apparent for many years, the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to maintain certain employee medical…
When a dental assistant or hygienist learns she's pregnant, one of the first questions is usually about X-rays: is it still safe to take them? The short answer is that dental X-ray work can generally continue during pregnancy with the…
The October 2026 issue of Dental Bytes covers a flu season reminder for dental teams, National Dental Hygiene Month, a Colorado license suspension involving infection control lapses, the final part of the ADA’s oral cancer living guideline, an updated AHA…
As flu season approaches, dental practices should review their procedures for protecting patients and dental healthcare personnel (DHCP). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a multi-layered approach that includes vaccination, respiratory hygiene, appropriate management of ill…
Surface disinfectant is one of those supplies nobody budgets for. It shows up on every supply order, it gets used after every patient, and it rarely gets a second look. But across a year, and across every operatory in the…
Every dental practice that sterilizes instruments has to prove its sterilizer works, and the CDC's answer is a weekly spore test. How you run that test is up to you. You can mail the strip to an outside lab, or…
Hazcom Standards Require SDSs in Dental Offices Dental offices use a variety of chemicals that may pose health or safety hazards to employees. Both the federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA Hazard Communication (Hazcom) Standards require employers to maintain a safety data…
Are Wyoming Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes. Wyoming dental spore testing requirements come from a board rule that names the CDC document by title and makes failure to conform with any provision of it an act of…
Are Vermont Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes. Vermont dental spore testing requirements do not come from a dental board infection control rule, because Vermont does not have one. The Administrative Rules of the Board of Dental Examiners,…
