Safety precautions in the clinic and laboratory. Mustafa al-ali, 48 Safety precautions in the clinic and laboratory Safety precautions in the dental clinic and laboratory are crucial to protect both patients and dental healthcare professionals. Here are some key safety measures to consider: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Hand Hygiene Sterilization and Disinfection Waste Management Radiation Safety Emergency Preparedness Chemical Safety Ergonomics Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be selected based on risk assessment and tasks to be performed. These items are designed to provide a protective barrier during dental procedures and through the sterilization process. PPE must also be considered for patients as they enter the facility and provided to administrative staff who may be screening them upon arrival. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Gown Dental Hygiene Care Professionals (DHCP) should wear protective clothing (eg, gowns, jackets) to prevent contamination of scrubs and to protect the skin from exposure to blood and bodily fluids. Sleeves should be long enough to protect the forearms. Protective clothing should be changed after use or when it becomes visibly soiled by blood or other bodily fluids. DHCP should remove protective clothing before leaving the work area. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Eyewear/Face Shields Protective Eyewear DHCP should wear protective eyewear with solid side shields or a face shield during procedures likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood or bodily fluids or the spatter of debris. Reusable protective eyewear should be cleaned with soap and water, and when visibly soiled, disinfected between patients. Personal eyeglasses are not considered PPE. Protective eyewear should be provided to patients. Face Shields Face shields provide full-face coverage. Must be worn with a face mask. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Gloves DHCP should wear gloves to prevent contamination of their hands when touching mucous membranes, blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious materials and to reduce the likelihood that microorganisms on their hands will be transmitted to patients during patient care. Gloves should be used for one patient only and discarded appropriately after use. Hand hygiene should be performed prior to donning gloves and immediately after glove removal. Hand Hygiene Hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus. It also interrupts the transmission of other viruses and bacteria, thus reducing the overall burden of disease, Dental healthcare facilities should ensure that hand hygiene supplies are readily available in every patient care location. Pre-washing considerations Remove jewelry, ring, watches, or bracelets Remove artificial nails if present. Cover skin cuts, abrasions, breaks or cracks with waterproof adhesive dressings. Use running water; avoid dipping or washing hands in a basin of standing water

1. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN THE CLINIC AND
LABORATORY.
MUSTAFA AL-ALI, 48

2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN THE CLINIC AND LABORATORY
Safety precautions in the dental clinic and laboratory are crucial to protect both patients and dental healthcare
professionals. Here are some key safety measures to consider:
1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
2. Hand Hygiene
3. Sterilization and Disinfection
4. Waste Management
5. Radiation Safety
6. Emergency Preparedness
7. Chemical Safety
8. Ergonomics

3. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be selected based on
risk assessment and tasks to be performed.
These items are designed to provide a protective barrier during
dental procedures and through the sterilization process. PPE must
also be considered for patients as they enter the facility and
provided to administrative staff who may be screening them upon
arrival.

4. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
 Gown
 Dental Hygiene Care Professionals (DHCP) should
wear protective clothing (eg, gowns, jackets) to
prevent contamination of scrubs and to protect the
skin from exposure to blood and bodily fluids.
• Sleeves should be long enough to protect the
forearms.
• Protective clothing should be changed after use or
when it becomes visibly soiled by blood or other
bodily fluids.
• DHCP should remove protective clothing before
leaving the work area.
 Mask
 It is recommended that all DHCP use the highest level of
PPE available when treating patients to reduce the risk of
exposure. Use your professional judgment related to
treatment provided and the patient’s risk factors.2
 This may include N95 respirator or Level 3 surgical mask
in combination with a face shield.

5. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
 Eyewear/Face Shields
 Protective Eyewear
• DHCP should wear protective eyewear with solid side shields or a face shield during procedures likely to generate
splashes or sprays of blood or bodily fluids or the spatter of debris. Reusable protective eyewear should be cleaned
with soap and water, and when visibly soiled, disinfected between patients.
• Personal eyeglasses are not considered PPE.
• Protective eyewear should be provided to patients.
 Face Shields
• Face shields provide full-face coverage.
• Must be worn with a face mask.

6. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
 Gloves
 DHCP should wear gloves to prevent contamination of their hands when touching mucous membranes, blood,
saliva, or other potentially infectious materials and to reduce the likelihood that microorganisms on their hands
will be transmitted to patients during patient care.
• Gloves should be used for one patient only and discarded appropriately after use.
• Hand hygiene should be performed prior to donning gloves and immediately after glove removal.

7. HAND HYGIENE
 Hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus. It also
interrupts the transmission of other viruses and bacteria, thus reducing the overall burden
of disease, Dental healthcare facilities should ensure that hand hygiene supplies are readily
available in every patient care location.
Pre-washing considerations
1. Remove jewelry, ring, watches, or bracelets
2. Remove artificial nails if present.
3. Cover skin cuts, abrasions, breaks or cracks with waterproof adhesive dressings.
4. Use running water; avoid dipping or washing hands in a basin of standing water.

8. HAND HYGIENE
 Types of hand washing
1. Routine hand washing: washing hands with plain (i.e., non-antimicrobial) liquid soap and water.
2. Antiseptic Hand Wash: Washing hands with antimicrobial soap and water for any surgical (aseptic) procedure.
3. Alcohol-based hand rub: An alcohol-containing preparation (60% at least) designed for application to the
hands to reduce the number of viable microorganisms on the hands.
4. Surgical hand antisepsis. For more details, please refer to GDIPC’s Manual of Infection Prevention and Control
for Dental Settings

10. STERILIZATION AND DISINFECTION
 Cleaning, which is done with soap and water, is simply the destruction of dirt and organic material. It eliminates a
large proportion of microorganisms, but not all of them. The method that does achieve this is disinfection, thanks to
chemical or physical procedures. However, disinfection processes do not remove fungal spores. This requires
sterilisation, which prevents microorganisms from surviving, reproducing or causing infections.
 Not all dental instruments carry the same risk of infection:
1. Critical. This group includes sharp surgical instruments or those that are inserted into tissues. For example, surgical,
periodontal or endodontic instruments. They must always be sterilised after use.
2. Semi-critical. This includes devices that are exposed to fluids such as blood or saliva, even if they do not penetrate
mucous membranes. They must also be sterilised after use.
3. Non-critical. Light-curing lamps, chair buttons, computers, intra-oral X-ray equipment etc. All these items that come
into continuous contact with the patient or aerosols are considered non-critical and should be disinfected between
patients.

11. STERILIZATION AND DISINFECTION

12. STERILIZATION AND DISINFECTION
 Sterilisation methods can be physical or chemical. The most well-known include ionising radiation and gas
sterilisation (ethylene oxide). There is also the dry heat technique, which achieves the oxidation of cell constituents,
and sterilisation in an autoclave (a hermetic and rigid chamber in which objects are placed) with humid heat through
saturated pressurised steam. These last two are the most commonly used and recommended in a dental clinic.
 The effectiveness of autoclaves
 There are different types: class S, class N and class B. The latter are recommended for a dental clinic. They remove the
air from inside the chamber through a vacuum pump. This creates a negative pressure that allows steam to be
released into the chamber. They are also capable of sterilising textile goods or porous elements with weep holes.
Excellent operational control is essential to avoid errors or anomalies in the procedure.
 In the correct sterilisation process, placing the material into the autoclave would follow immersion of the material in a
vat of disinfectant, washing with soft brushes, rinsing, drying and packaging. The last step is storage, which requires
ensuring that there are no traces of moisture.

13. AUTOCLAVE
 Sterilization with STEAM UNDER PRESSURE
 Time required at 1210 C is 15 mins at 15 lbs of pressure.
Advantages
 Rapid and effective
 Effective for sterilizing cloth surgical packs and towel packs
Disadvantages
 Items sensitive to heat cannot be sterilized • It tends to
corrode carbon steel burs

14. CHEMICLAVING
Sterilization by CHEMICAL VAPOR UNDER PRESSURE
 operates at 1310 C and 20 lbs of pressure.
 They have a cycle time of half an hour. Advantages
 Carbon steel and other carbon sensitive burs, instruments and
pliers are sterilized without rust or corrosion Disadvantages
 Items sensitive to elevated temperature will be damaged

15. WASTE MANAGEMENT
 CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES
 1. Dental Amalgam Wastes
 Amalgam Traps
 Bulk Mercury
 Contact Amalgam (i.e. Extracted Teeth
Containing Amalgam)
 2. Other Scrap Heavy Metals such as Lead
Foils
 3. X-ray Processing Wastes
 Silver-Containing Wastes (X-ray Photographic Fixer)
 X-ray Photographic Developer
 X-ray System Cleaners Containing Chromium
 4. Chemicals, Disinfectants and Sterilizing Agents
 5. Medical Waste
 6. Sharp Waste
 7.Biohazard Waste
 8.Non Hazardous Waste4