With the flu season well upon us, and quite severe this year, we want to remind you about proper hand hygiene. Proper hand hygiene is considered to be the single most important measure for preventing pathogen transmission in healthcare settings.…
In the United States, under the authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sole responsibility to establish the rules for efficacy claims and safety of surface disinfectants. Under FIFRA, any substance…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings - 2003, “cleaning should precede all disinfection and sterilization processes; it should involve removal of debris as well as organic and inorganic…
Maintaining an accurate, complete, and up-to-date patient history file is important to ensure that appropriate treatment is being rendered. Failure to respond correctly to medical conditions disclosed in the patient’s medical history can be dangerous to the patient, and could…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorizes patient-care dental items (instruments, devices, equipment) into three categories: Critical items cut bone and/or penetrate soft tissue and carry the highest risk of disease transmission. Semi-critical items touch mucous membranes or…
Oklahoma investigators announce first documented patient-to-patient hepatitis C transmission in a dental office On September 18, Oklahoma public health investigators released a status update confirming the first known patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis C. The transmission occurred in an Oklahoma dental…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends, and most states require, dental offices to monitor their sterilizers weekly using a spore test. Regular sterilizer monitoring using biologic indicators, i.e. spore tests, is considered the standard practice in dentistry,…
In early August, the US Public Health Service (USPHS) released updated guidelines for managing occupational exposures to HIV and recommendations for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The updated guidelines were developed by an interagency USPHS working group consisting of members from the…
Proper surface disinfection of dental work surfaces is essential for preventing the transmission of infectious pathogens to patients and health care workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines disinfection as the “destruction of pathogenic and other kinds…
In Case of a Positive Spore Test… Weekly monitoring of sterilization procedures using biologic indicators, i.e. spore tests, to evaluate the sterilizing conditions and the equipment’s effectiveness is an important part of infection control. Both the Centers for Disease Control…
