Although the principles of infection control and prevention remain the same, the recent outbreak and novel technological advances suggest that the importance of regular infection control should still be a top priority.
The right program can offer a safe working environment for both oral health care personnel and their patients. Here, you can take a closer look at the guidelines on infection control that dental clinics can find useful.
Why Is Infection Control Important in Dentistry?
Transmissible diseases are a real burden, especially in a dental office. Dentists come in contact with mucosa, saliva, and blood. Contaminated bodily fluids can spread diseases from patient to patient, dentist to patient, and vice versa. Infections can be transmitted in a dental clinic through different routes. (1)
Such as:
- Indirect contact (using contaminated equipment, environmental surfaces, or instruments)
- Direct contact (being exposed to infected materials, such as oral fluids or blood)
- Contact with droplets (for example, spatter that contains a microorganism from an infected individual)
- Inhalation (such as breathing in airborne particles that have lingered in the clinic for an extended period of time)
Research shows that there is a direct link between dental clinics and the identification of various organisms on site. Around 67% of the crowns, dentures, impressions, and wax occlusion rims evaluated had a microorganism presence of different pathogenicity, like E Coli and Klebsiella oxytoca. To mitigate contaminant exposure, infection control can come in handy. You can use it to create a safer working environment. Here is how. (2)
How to Take Routine Precautions?
Infection control in the dental clinic starts with using practical solutions and strategies that prevent transmittable diseases and infections. That means relying on a combination of precautions that can benefit you and everyone in that clinic. Take a look at the dental infection control checklist tips below. (3)
1. Hand Hygiene
When doing routine dental examinations, you will be using plain soap and water to wash your hands. Including hand antisepsis (antimicrobial soap), or alcohol-based hand rubs to clean the hands. For surgeries, you will be using sterile gloves and surgical hand scrubs.
To keep your hands pristine clean, you will be washing them when they are visibly soiled. After touching instruments or any secretions barehanded. Including after and before treating a patient.
Another thing to point out is that washing the hands before and after using gloves is also critical. And since you will be washing your hands a lot, it’s a good idea to use products that are good for your skin. Select the options that are ideal for your complexion.
2. Disinfection and Sterilization
Have your procedures and policies all set. Especially when it comes to handling, moving, and storing dental equipment and instruments. Sterilizing, disinfecting, and cleaning the equipment is best assigned to dental health care personnel. Mainly those that have adequate training.
Countless sterilants and disinfectants can be used alone or together with other products in a dentistry setting. These include: (4)
- alcohols
- formaldehyde
- hydrogen peroxide
- hypochlorous acid
- peracetic acid
- chlorine compounds
- iodophors
- ortho-phthalaldeyde
- glutaraldehyde
- phenolics
- quaternary ammonium compounds
Commercial formulas can contain mixtures to create a unique product. But, it’s very important that you read the labels thoroughly to avoid misusing the product. So, check their intended use before disinfecting your dental clinic.
3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Because of the pathophysiological characteristics of the coronavirus, infection control in dentistry during COVID-19 became a focal point. PPE is a key component in fending off airborne microorganisms. As a result, dental experts are expected to have: (5)
- protective clothing (like lab coats or gowns with long sleeves)
- task-specific gloves
- protective eyewear
- surgical masks
- particulate filter respirators
- ventilation devices (such as resuscitation bags, pocket masks, and mouthpieces)
One questionnaire evaluated the attitudes and knowledge of dental patients. The goal was to see how much patients knew about these control cross-infection measures in a dental office. Each patient was asked what they expect when going to the dentist. Data shows that 90% of respondents expected their dentists to wear gloves.
73% expected them to have face masks, and 37% to use spectacles. To help your patients feel at ease, you can let them know of the protection and benefits that PPE can offer. Boosting people’s awareness and knowledge can come a long way. (6)
4. Respiratory Etiquette
Taking preventive measures starts with educating patients. You can post a sign at the door that asks patients with any symptoms of a respiratory illness to cover their nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. When you or the patient are using tissues, make sure to throw them away.
Place a hand sanitizer close to the waiting area and encourage patients to use it. This can help you keep the airborne pathogens at bay in your dental setting. If a patient does show symptoms of a respiratory illness, ask them to refrain from sitting close to other people.
If you have a separate facility available, you can ask them to stay in that area while they wait for dental care. These are crucial strategies for creating solid respiratory etiquette.
5. Safety When Working With Sharp Objects
Most exposures in a dental setting are preventable. You will be using sharp items like lab knives, needles, burs, and scalers on a regular basis. These objects can get contaminated with potentially infected saliva or blood. Many microorganisms pose a threat to dental experts and patients.
A 2020 report evaluated the type of infection control practices dental care providers used. Experts distributed the questionnaire to dental care providers across various dental centers. As well as academic institutions and clinics. (7)
Data shows that autoclave sterilization for sharp instruments was used by 90.5%. And puncture-resistant containers were used by 88.4%. Most of the providers (81%) evaluated had protocols for emergency treatment. Mainly when it came to the treatment of sharp accidents. To work safely with sharp objects, it’s necessary that you take the right precautions. The tips below can help.
| Tips on handling sharp objects in a dental clinic | |
| Do’s | Don’ts |
| Do use a needle guard/single-handed technique to recap needles. | Don’t recap a used needle with both hands. |
| Do put the sharp instrument on a bracket table or a tray if it needs to be picked up by another person. This is a neutral zone. | Don’t pass a sharp instrument from one hand to another when treating a patient. |
| Do alert the patient and the other person when a sharp object is placed into a neutral zone. | Don’t point the sharp edge of the used needle towards any part of your body. |
| Do store disposable scalpel blades, needles, syringes, or similar objects in an adequate puncture-resistant container. | Don’t bend the needle. |
6. Safe Injection Practices
Safe injection practices are a vital component of dentistry. You will be using the aseptic tactic to get the injections ready in a clean area. Before piercing, you will disinfect the rubber septum with alcohol. The rule of thumb is to not use syringes or needles for more than a single patient.
Every time a patient does get treated, you will be using a new syringe and a new needle. Experts are advised to refrain from using single-dose or single-use IV solutions, bottles, bags, vials, etc on more than one patient. Combining leftover contents from single-use vials is also not allowed.
As well as using administration sets, like connections, tubings, and IV bags on more than a single patient. Evaluate the safe injection practices checklist in your area to know how to set the perfect and healthiest environment for both you and your patients. (8)
7. Environmental Infection Control and Prevention
A proper infection prevention plan should include routine disinfection. And cleaning of environmental surfaces. With a plan like this, you can get rid of all kinds of microorganisms and leave the surfaces in pristine condition. Cleaning should precede disinfection.
Focus on areas and surfaces that have the highest risk of getting contaminated. Especially the light handles and computer. As well as the switches you have on every dental unit, bracket trays, etc. When these surfaces do come in contact with microorganisms, they can be transferred to the nose, mouth, eyes, and instruments.
Even if washing the hands is a sufficient enough strategy to curb the risk of microorganism spread, clinical contact should still be taken into account. EPA-registered detergents or disinfectants meant to be used in a medical setting can get the job done.
Read the product label to know exactly how to use these products. Like, the amount to use, how to safely apply the product, dispose of it, etc. Make sure that these cleaning procedures and policies become a routine in your dental clinic. That way you can create a safe environment.
8. HOCl Fogging
Among the disinfectants registered with EPA, HOCl is the disinfectant primarily used for surface disinfection in dental clinics.
For further reference: HOCL (HYPOCHLOROUS ACID WATER): ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
You can further enhance the infection control by fogging HOCl at around 200ppm in the treatment room or waiting room between patient visits or at the end of the day. It will also give people peace of mind to keep this initiative open to visiting patients as part of your infection control protocol.
HOCl fogging needs to be done with a specialized fogger in order to be effective.
If you would like to learn more about this product or find a case study in dental clinics, please contact us using the form below.
FAQ
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How are infections spread in dental practices?
Cross-infection in a clinical setting can happen when infectious agents are being transferred from a health worker to a patient. Or vice versa, while the patient is still in the dental clinic. Transmission of dental infection can happen when people come in contact with a contaminated secretion. Like saliva and blood. But, it could also occur due to contaminated instruments and air droplets. (9)
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What are the five basic principles for infection control in dentistry?
The “bread & butter” of effective infection control starts with regular hand washing. As well as using PPE, the aseptic cleaning technique, implementing environmental infection control, and the proper handling of sharp objects. The safety strategies that you do implement can help create that perfect working environment.
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What is the most important infection control in dentistry?
Hand washing is considered one of the key measures in preventing the spread of infections. According to Harvard experts, washing the hands with water and soap for roughly 15 seconds decreases the bacteria count by a staggering 90%. When you focus on your hand hygiene longer than that, like 20 seconds, for instance, the bacteria count can plummet by almost 99.9%. That’s why hand hygiene remains a go-to infection control strategy in a dental clinic. (10)
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What is the importance of infection control in dentistry?
Your well-being and the well-being of others are of utmost importance. When working with patients of different ages and backgrounds, curbing infections can help create a clean and sterilized environment. Yes, dental staff do have to take additional precautions to ensure that their working environment is in tip-top shape. But, the time used on cleaning and disinfecting the workplace is time well spent.
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How do you ensure effective infection control?
It’s best that you educate your staff on how to incorporate the right behavior and infection control skills. You might want to hold mandatory training sessions so that the staff can understand the impact of this practice. With time, you can create a cleanliness culture that everyone will be on-board with. Now that you know exactly what to expect and the type of tactics you can use, you are ready to control the risk of infections in your dental clinic.
References
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28317575/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470356/
3. https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/pdf/safe-care2.pdf
4. https://tdaperks.com/disinfectionsterilization/
6. http://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-3-1997/volume-3-issue-2/article9.html
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7369297/
8. https://www.aids.gov.hk/pdf/g15.pdf
9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034116300910
10. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/The_handiwork_of_good_health
