This document outlines infection control procedures for a dental office. It discusses evaluating patients for infectious diseases, using personal protective equipment like gloves and masks, sterilizing instruments, using disposable items, disinfecting surfaces, maintaining aseptic techniques in the lab, and proper disposal of waste. Proper hand hygiene and barrier protection when treating patients is emphasized. Sterile gloves and masks should be worn during treatment and high-speed procedures to prevent spread of aerosols. Instruments should be sterilized and stored properly. Rubber dams should be used when possible to provide a clear field and reduce aerosolization of fluids.

1. INFECTION
CONTROL
PROCEDURE
S

2. Elements in infection
control protocol
• patient evaluation
• personal protection
• instrument-cleaning, sterilization
and storage
• use of disposables
• disinfection
• laboratory asepsis
• disposal of waste

3. Patient
evaluation• Complete medical history
should be taken prior to
any treatment.
• Update the medical
history if any prior to
each visit.
–Identify the infectious
diseases.

4. Personal protection
• personal hygiene
• clinic clothing
• barrier protection (gloves, eye
shield, face masks, rubber dam
isolation)
• immunization procedures.

5. Personal hygiene
Nails
• Nails should be cut short
and be clean
• Nail varnish should be
intact, i.e. no chips or
flakes.
• Artificial nails are not
permitted
• Artificial nails can be a

6. Jewellery
• No rings, bracelets or
wristwatches should be
worn during work.
• It is not possible to
wash hands and/or
lower arms if these are
covered in jewellery
Eating, drinking and
smoking

7. Clothing
• During the treatment of patients and
the handling of used instruments
clothing with short sleeves should be
worn in order to make good hand
hygiene possible.
• This clothing should be changed daily
and in the case of visible
contamination immediately.
• During treatment clothing should not

8. Immunisation
• All dentists and all the practice
employees should be vaccinated
against hepatitis B
• because of the risk of exposure to
blood and the possible risks it
causes.

9. • A dedicated clean sink should be provided
in the clinic for hand-washing, and the taps
should be operated by elbow or foot
controls or sensors (no-touch technique).
• Thoroughly wash the hands before and
after treating each patient using a
proprietary antimicrobial handwash (e.g.
chlorhexidine gluconate) before putting
on gloves.
• Hands should also be washed before
leaving the surgery for any purpose, and
upon return.

11. • Any obvious cuts or abrasions must be
covered with adhesive waterproof
dressings.
• Liquid (not bar) soap should be used for
routine handwashing, and antimicrobial
liquids for hand-washing prior to surgical
procedures.
• Hands should be dried thoroughly using
disposable paper towels, and gloves
should be worn as the last step before
treatment commences.
• Moisturizing cream should be used as a

13. Barrier
protection
• gloves
• eye shields
• face masks
• rubber dam isolation

14. Gloves
• All dentists and close
support personnel
should routinely wear
disposable latex or
vinyl gloves.
• to establish
standards of hygiene
in order to safeguard
dental personnel and

15. • Gloves should be checked for visible
defects immediately after wearing
them, and immediately changed when
breaches occur
• never wash and reuse
gloves.
• allergic reactions to
gloves may develop in
staff or patients.
• Skin creams, a spray-on

16. • clean, high-quality,
protective latex gloves
should be used whenever
examining a patient's
mouth or providing routine
dental treatment when no
blood-letting procedures
are undertaken
• sterile gloves
should be used for
surgical procedures

17. • heavy-duty utility gloves
should be used for cleaning
instruments or surfaces or handling
chemicals.

18. Eye shields.
• should be worn by dentists
and close support personnel
• to protect the conjunctivae
from spatter and debris
generated by high-speed
handpieces, scaling (manual
or ultrasonic), and polishing
and cleaning of instruments.

19. Face masks.
• clean mask should be
worn for each patient.
• particularly during
high-speed
instrumentation, as it
prevents inhalation of
contaminated aerosols

20. • The filtration efficacy of such
aerosols depends upon:
the material used for mask manufacture
(paper masks are inferior to glass
fibre and polypropylene types)
length of time the mask is worn
the useful life of a mask is about 30-
60 min, particularly if the ! mask is
wet.

21. • Always ensure that masks
are well adapted so that the
nose and mouth are
completely covered.
• Masks with metal inserts are
preferable as they can be
tailored to fit the individual's
profile.
• Masks should not be touched

22. Rubber dam isolation
• As far as possible rubber dam
should be used in operative
procedures
Use of rubber dam during
operative procedures:
• provides a clear visual field as
the tissues are retracted

23. • reduces aerosol formation, as saliva
pooling does not occur on the rubber
dam surface
• minimizes the retraction of
contaminated oral fluids into the
dental unit water systems as the
rubber dam prevents pooling of oral
fluids and the possibility of suck-back
into the water lines.