Infection Control
Infection Control Procedures During Treatment
1. Comprehensive Dental Examination
Your dentist knows his patients. Your dentist has a long established relationship with most patients. This fact, combined with your dentist’s comprehensive dental examination of each patient, greatly reduce your risk of infection.
· The patient’s medical history, general physical condition, medication, and record of hospitalization.
· A facial examination to check jaw functions and to check for growths.
· An intraoral examination to check for ulcerations, bleeding and any other abnormality.
2. Infection Control Training
Our staff consistently works together as a professional team to control infection. In addition to being trained in their dental specialty or dental area, every member of the staff is trained in the latest infection control procedures and retrained when changes in infection control procedures warrant.
3. Protective Gloves
The dentist and all dental treatment personnel wear protective gloves. The wearing of protective gloves is one of your dentist’s most important infection control procedures. Dentists, hygienists and assistants routinely wear protective gloves. In addition, all dental treatment personnel wash their hands before and after wearing gloves with a soap which inhibits the growth of microscopic size organisms. Gloves are compromised by tears, cuts, nicks or abrasion.
4. Vaccinations
Staff Vaccination Protection. Vaccination protection against Hepatitis B is now available. This preventative measure can be taken in the unlikely event that any dental treatment personnel become exposed to blood that can cause disease.
5. Protective eyewear and masks
All dental treatment personnel wear protective eyewear and masks. Protective eyewear is disinfected between every treatment. Masks are discarded after use.
6. HIV-1 and HBV Testing
Protection against accidental exposure. Employees exposed to pathogens by accidental skin punctures are offered dentist-paid testing for HIV-1 and HBV if not already immune. Following up and counseling is also made available.
7. Sterilization
All instruments and items used in or near the mouth are sterilized. Instruments are sterilized with a heat/pressure sterilizer. Liquid chemical sterilizers are used when items will be damaged by heat.
Infection Control Procedures After Treatment
8. Disinfection
All touched and splashed surfaces in the treatment area are professionally disinfected. After all used surfaces are cleaned, and Environmental Protection Agency registered, microorganisms capable of causing disease. Many surfaces are protected by an infection prevention cover.
9. Waste Disposal
Safe disposal of potential contaminated waste. Potentially infectious waste is separated and disposed of in compliance with all applicable federal, state and office safety regulations.
Laboratory Infection Control
10. Laboratory Infection Control
All dental impressions are washed disinfected and wrapped in plastic, before being sent to a commercial laboratory. Our dental laboratories use the latest infection control techniques to prevent cross contamination.
We are pleased to offer you this complimentary Patient Information Report on infection control. The report was developed to inform you of the precautions I and my staff utilize to help protect you from the AIDS virus and other infectious diseases.
As a result of practicing the infection control procedures outlined in this brochure, the risk of contracting an infectious disease in our office is virtually non-existent, and considerably lower than other medical procedures.
The During Treatment and After Treatment infection control procedures discussed in this brochure are modeled after the recommended precautions of The Centers for Disease Control, The Occupational Safety and Health Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to these stringent procedures, the independent, outside laboratory used by your dentist adheres to the latest infection control procedures to prevent cross contamination of all dental appliances.
Patrick S. Foley, D.D.S.