Infection control and safety in the dental practice In the life of a person, most people will visit a dentist in order to get to know about their oral health; therefore, dental professionals are held responsible for ensuring a safe and infection control environment practice.
Infection control Asepsis concept and its primary role in the infection control was put forward two centuries ago, by Ignaz Semmelweis in Europe and Olive Holmes in USA. After the Joseph Lister’s studies, the principles were accepted on prevention of wound infection. Though it is very much well known in surgery and general medicine it has been considered as late coming to dentistry. In the field of dentistry, there are 4 possible routes where the disease may be transmitted.
- Direct Contact
- Indirect Contact
- Airborne route
- Droplet Transmission
Planning for Infection Control- Always assess upon return and prepare before
It is the basis for assessing the effectiveness at the end, there follows to improve the process as future aids.
- Basic Setup
Choosing a best operating area where exactly the position of patient’s heads placed with regard to artificial or natural light.
- Site Setting
The positioning of a patient, access to supplies, adequate lighting, excessive noise and dirt. There are factors must be considered in selecting a setup for treatment of patients.
Principles of Infection Control for Safety practice- Take appropriate action to stay healthy
- The spread of contamination has to be limited
- Always avoid contacting body fluids or blood
- Make objects safe for use
Safety Measures for dental care deliveryHand Hygiene Always wash hands before gloving and after removing the gloves. Use alcohol-based sanitizer on hands.
Personal barriers Using gloves, gowns, masks and eye protection is the safest measure during dental care delivery.
Other Safety Measures- Instead of using fingers to retract tissue use retractor or mirror
- Maintaining a container for sharp used instruments in order to allow disposal of blades or needles after using immediately
- While processing dental procedures carefully handling instruments
- While transferring instruments between operator and assistant have to be done carefully.
It is always safe and best to treat everyone as if they are infected with pathogenic microorganisms and also it is safe to handle every contaminated item as if carrying an infectious blood-borne agent. The effort and focus are to eliminate or decrease in the spread of infection from all types of microorganisms. Eliminating and breaking the cycle of infection is the core objective of a dental professional. The clinician holds a responsibility for implementing effective infection control and also for safe practice.
DISCLAIMER : “Views expressed above are the author's own.”
For current risk-based aerosol and infection-control context, see Dental Aerosols and Infection Control: Clinical Guide.
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