How to Develop a Winning Dental Infection Control and Prevention Policy?
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The first step toward change is awareness. Awareness and knowledge are among the essential requirements for control and prevention of infection in dentistry. All parties involved in dental treatment must be aware of the possible processes of the spread of dental disease from one patient to another. Three parties are involved:
Education and awareness alone are not enough. A professional must possess an ethical and professional commitment to ensure the control of dental infection and disease. Education and mindfulness, will, of course, help develop this commitment.
The responsibility for providing standards and guidelines for safe practice are overseen on the national and international level. In the UK, for example, the Infection prevention society provides guidelines which should be followed by dental professionals for practicing control and prevention of cross-infection in the dental environment. . Dental professionals should understand the requirements in their county as well as international standards. Generally, there are two levels of preventative measures.
Taken with all patients as a routine without any knowledge of the patient’s infection status. These must be taken to minimize the risk of infection transmission from the secretions, excretions, body fluids, blood, etc., from the patient. They include:
Precautions must be practiced with patients suffering from infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C:
Another potential source of infection in dental practice is the waterline. A dedicated waterline should be arranged for sterilization, and for instruments that require water during use, such as dental handpieces, ultrasonic scalers etc. Regular inspection of the waterline is also necessary to prevent biofilm formation that can result in infection.
Another potential source of infection in dental practice is the waterline. A dedicated waterline should be arranged for sterilization, and for instruments that require water during use, such as dental handpieces, ultrasonic scalers etc. Regular inspection of the waterline is also necessary to prevent biofilm formation that can result in infection.
The purpose of these measures is to prevent and control infection, and they must become an essential part of any dental practice’s core values. Dentists and clinic managers are entrusted with the safety of their patients and dental team. Therefore, they should devise a comprehensive process within their practice to minimize infection transmission, and to create a safe atmosphere for their patients and dental staff. If your practice follows infection control guidelines combined with the use of high quality sterile processing products and solutions, then you are most likely to be ranked among the top in the field. It’s clear that a dental professional who emphasizes safety, not only because it’s required, but as something of values is worthy to be trusted and respected by patients.
About Tuttnauer – You’re a one-stop shop for sterile dental processing
Tuttnauer provides end to end sterile processing solutions for dental clinics, including; advanced autoclave sterilizers, washer-disinfectors, indicators and sterile processing products. The T-Edge 23 autoclaves were explicitly developed for dental practices. They meet all your sterilization needs by creating cyclic parameters that accommodate with the most challenging loads, ensuring sterility and efficient drying, helping dentists achieve today’s challenging workloads and provide superior patient care, without risking cross patient contamination.
For further information and to inquire about purchasing the T-Edge 10 autoclave for your practice, visit the T-Edge page on our website.
For North American visitors please continue to the tuttnauer.com/us.