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.…
The Dental Board of California’s Infection Control Regulation (California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Section 1005. Minimum Standards for Infection Control) requires that each dental office in California must maintain a written infection control protocol onsite which states the office’s…
Effective January 18, 2017, powdered surgeon’s gloves, powdered patient examination gloves, and absorbable powder for lubricating a surgeon’s glove will be banned from use in the United States. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these devices “present an…
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) recently announced that International Infection Prevention Week is scheduled for October 16-22, 2016. The goal of the initiative is to raise awareness and to promote infection control and prevention in…
One factor commonly overlooked in choosing a surface disinfectant is the overall safety of the product to the environment and to staff members who are exposed to it daily over many years. Stronger, i.e. more toxic, disinfectants are not necessarily…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report on April 8th confirming the transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus among 20 pediatric dental patients from contaminated dental unit waterlines (DUWLs). The outbreak was caused by biofilm-contaminated water in…
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new resources for infection prevention and control in dental settings. Entitled Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care, with a March 2016 publication date,…
On February 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory warning health practitioners and the public about increasing influenza activity across the nation. The most common flu strain circulating is H1N1, which caused the…
Here at OSHA Review, Inc, we have always advocated the importance of cleaning surfaces as a first step before disinfecting them. A recent article by infection prevention expert Darrel Hicks goes even further to describe cleaning and disinfection as “a…
On December 3, Cal/OSHA issued a News Release stating that the California agency cited Kaiser Foundation Hospitals $149,000 for exposing workers to injury and infection from used needles in the hospital’s sharps collection containers. At least three employees have been…
