6 Infection Control Measures Healthcare Should Take

What is one infection control measure dentists should take?

To help your dentistry business continue to uphold infection control measures, we asked business leaders and health professionals this question for their best health measures. From continuous disinfection of all high traffic areas to educating and re-educating your staff, there are several things that may help your business take infection control measures.

Here are six infection control measures dentists should take:

• Disinfect All High Traffic Areas
• Wear Personal Protective Equipment
• Use Disposable Covers
• Discuss Hand Hygiene
• Implement Advanced Air Filtration System
• Educate And Re-Educate Staff

Disinfect All High Traffic Areas

Ensuring that your office is properly cleaned and disinfected has never been more important than it is now! Aside from sterilizing your tools, be sure that you are cleaning and disinfecting your tables, credit card readers, and all items in high traffic areas. By doing so, you can keep your employees and clients safe!

Vanessa Molica, The Lash Professional

Wear Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment is a standard precaution that all dentists and healthcare professionals should be well accustomed to at this point in their practice. The list of protective equipment is extensive for dental professionals. There are items like long-sleeved lab coats or gowns to protect the forearms against blood or OPIM. There are also must-haves like task-specific gloves, surgical masks, and protective eyewear. And of course, every practice should have particulate filter respirators and ventilation devices. All OHCP should wear personal protective equipment to prevent or reduce the risk of disease transmission.

Henry Babichenko, Eurodenture

Use Disposable Covers

It is of great importance for professionals in the medical field and for dentists to implement infection control measures in their workplace. Such procedures are done for the purpose of preventing the spread of disease and germs that could harm the worker’s and client’s health. To prevent such action from happening, dentists should regularly disinfect the place thoroughly. Using disposable covers around certain areas and always cleaning non-disposable items are some of the main cleaning activities that should be done. Hygiene is the key! When discussing health, it can never be too clean, for such reasons, always try to stay on top of the cleaning in the workplace and personal hygiene.

Sandeep Kumar Aggarwal, SKAOLOGY Medical

Discuss Hand Hygiene

The most important measure to prevent the spread of infections among patients and dentists is hand hygiene. Education and training programs should thoroughly discuss signs and strategies for hand hygiene practices. Using water and plain soap (handwashing) or antimicrobial soap designed for health care environments, or an alcohol-based hand rub for regular dental exams and nonsurgical procedures. While alcohol-based hand rubs are useful in healthcare environments when hands are clearly soiled, soap and water should be used (e.g. dirt, blood, body fluids).

Perform a surgical hand scrub before slipping on sterile surgeon's gloves for surgical procedures. Follow the guidelines on the product label for all forms of hand hygiene products. The Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings provides detailed instructions on how and when to practice hand hygiene, as well as advice on surgical hand antisepsis and artificial nails.

Sylvia Kang, Mira

Implement Advanced Air Filtration System

The pandemic started right before my dental appointment was due. If I’m honest, I ended up skipping the first yearly appointment due to fears of catching COVID because we weren't entirely sure what it was or how it was transmitted. Even after finding out it was transmitted through fluids, my husband and I still feared it could be airborne. We weren't the only ones. In fact, many medical offices, dental offices, and clinics reached out to us to implement more air filters within their offices to ensure all potential airborne infections were filtered out correctly. Because we installed many more AC units and filters, many medical and dental offices were able to advertise how they were taking extra precautions to ensure a safe environment for their patients. Don't worry; I got my teeth cleaned after I changed my dentist's AC unit.

Natalie Sullivan, Cooler Air Today

Educate And Re-Educate Staff

Hosting regular in-office training and retraining is one of the most important infection control measures dentists can take. If all staff members do not know or follow correct cleaning protocols, then the likelihood of transmission increases. Vendors have different sterilization advice for different pieces of equipment, and those instructions can change based on updated guidelines or changes in the manufacturing process. Reviewing cleaning procedures regularly ensures that all team members are exposed to best practices, acts as a refresher for experienced staff, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining high cleaning standards.

Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding