Transmission of infectious agents among patients and healthcare professionals in dental settings, although rare, can have a major impact on patient health and quality of life. This article briefly discusses the key CDC recommendations for prevention of infections in dental settings. According to several clinical reports, some of the reported breakdowns in basic infection prevention procedures in dental settings include: Unsafe injection practices Failure to heat sterilize dental handpieces between patients Failure to monitor sterilizing procedures for e.g.
autoclaves Key recommendations All dental healthcare professionals require and must be recommended immunizations for hepatitis B, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) varicella (chickenpox), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis), etc. All dental healthcare personnel must be screened for tuberculosis (TB) upon hire regardless of the risk…
