Infection control plays a vital role in the everyday running of a dental surgery. It protects the patient, the dentist, and the dental nurse from the risk of infection spreading to them, and to their surrounding environment. It is the aim of all the members of the dental team to prevent cross-infection. To carry this out successfully, the dental team should understand how pathogens are transmitted between people, and how to stop the spread of pathogens. Work must be carried out using standard precautions to ensure that the same high level of infection control prevention is used for every patient. Saliva and blood from every patient should be treated as infectious, so that there is no risk of infection spreading, and putting patients and staff members at risk. Due to this, there are a variety of precautions and measures which are in place in all surgeries to prevent the spread of infection.
Hand Hygiene
This involves the physical removal of bacteria, dirt, and bodily fluids. Good hand hygiene is vital when working in a dental surgery. Failure to maintain good hand hygiene will result in cross contamination between patients, between staff, and also contaminating the work surfaces and equipment. We strive on a daily basis to ensure that a high standard in hand hygiene is maintained. Hands must be washed following the six step hand washing technique as demonstrated…
• Nails must be kept short.
• No nail varnish to be worn as bacteria can harbor underneath the nail polish and cause infection.
• Hands must only be dried with disposable paper towels, because if non-disposable towel is used, the risk of infection spreading is high.
These rules must be followed in relation to hand washing:
ALWAYS WASH HANDS:
1. Before contac...
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...f things. This includes spray from turbine handpicks and when using scalers for cleaning. It protects the patients clothes during a root canal treatment when the sodium hypochlorite is being used, as this would permanently stain the patients clothes if unprotected.
Mask
Masks are used during all dental procedures to protect the dentist and nurse from spray from the handpieces and other fluids during a patients treatment.
Masks should
• be changed in between patients to ensure infection control is practiced at a high standard.
• never be worn outside of the surgery, for example, in the reception area, and in the corridors of the practice.
• never be touched when wearing gloves as this would increase the risk of infection spreading.
• never be worn as a necklace; if not using it, it should be disposed of in the contaminated waste bin.
Kasie said while she is working she has to reconstitute medication, compounding IV/fluid drips, pull single dose P.O. medications and oral syringes for patients to be delivered to med rooms, check for expired drugs, and package unit dose medication. She said she enjoys working in the environment very much. The dress code is to wear vestex scrubs, which are antimicrobial and bodily fluid/fluid resistant.
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI). (2012). Checking anaesthetic equipment 2012. Retrieved from http://www.aagbi.org/sites/default/files/checking_anaesthetic_equipment_2012.pdf
The medical assisting extern needed to wash her hands before preparing the room for a patient to prevent cross contamination.
The duties of a dental hygienist can be stressful, they begin by preparing the treatment room for the patient by protocols. Then, they prepare the patient for the dental work by seating the patient and discussing any questions or concerns the patient has for visiting that day. The hygienist then proceeds to sterlizing, sharpening, and arranging the instruments depending on what is needed due to the patient's oral health. The hygienist then detects any diseases by using an oral cancer screening, visually and physically examinging the gums, then uses probesto locate periodontal diseases.This job requires a quality understanding of the body due to the diseases carried ...
“The CDC is the primary developer of national infection control and prevention guidelines, often in collaboration with its Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, which is responsible for research and dissemination of the latest information for preventing disease transmission” (Griffis, 2013, p. 175). Infection control will continue to be a topic of discussion as long as germ transmission is still happening. Among these studies is the concern the frequent nonadherence to contact precautions is a huge issue that many studies are still very concerned about (Jessee & Mion, 2013, p. 966). The writer is also concerned with the blatant disregard for hand hygiene that appears to be happening in the medical field. What about what is best for the patient. Do the people that do not use proper hand hygiene not understand how important it
This literature review will analyze and critically explore four studies that have been conducted on hand hygiene compliance rates by Healthcare workers (HCWs). Firstly, it will look at compliance rates for HCWs in the intensive care units (ICU) and then explore the different factors that contribute to low hand hygiene compliance. Hospital Acquired infections (HAI) or Nosocomial Infections appear worldwide, affecting both developed and poor countries. HAIs represent a major source of morbidity and mortality, especially for patients in the ICU (Hugonnet, Perneger, & Pittet, 2002). Hand hygiene can be defined as any method that destroys or removes microorganisms on hands (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). According to the World Health Organization (2002), a HAI can be defined as an infection occurring in a patient in a hospital or other health care facility in whom the infection was not present or incubating at the time of admission. The hands of HCWs transmit majority of the endemic infections. As
Dental Hygienist are commonly found in clinical settings. In this setting their main objective is to control
A dental hygienist is a very important role in any dental office. As stated by a dental assistant, “Dental hygienists work closely with the dentist as well as hands on with the patients. They assist dentists with operative procedures such as fillings and extractions, and making molds of patients teeth” (Wilson, Jennifer). A large part of their job is teaching patients proper dental care to ensure a lifetime of healthy teeth. This includes proper brushing and flossing techniques. According to the job out look, a day as a dental hygienist can include taking x-rays, cleaning and scaling teeth, charting treatment plans, putting sealants on teeth, taking impressions of teeth and completing information about the patient’s oral and medical history (Summary). In some states dental hygienist are allowed to give local anesthetic and place and remove sutures (Delivering Local Anesthetic). According to advantages of becoming a dental hygienist, hygienists spend more hands on time with the patients than the dentist does. These are some of the instruments that dental hygienists use on a daily basis: toothbrush, scaler, mirror, ultrasonic scaler, explorer, suction, computer, salvia ejector, rubber cap polisher, dental models, x-ray machine and probe. The dental hygienist uses a toothbrush to remove soft plaque from the teeth. Plaque is a soft coating on the teeth that contain bacteria. The bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease. The amount of plaque on the teeth gives the hygienist an idea of how well the daily brushing and flossing of the patient’s teeth are completed on a regular basis. The scaler is used to remove hardened plaque or calculus from the teeth. The mirror is used to look closely at the surfaces of the teeth a...
Molinari, J., & Hart, J. (2010). How to Choose and Use Environmental Surface Disinfectants. Cottone's Practical Infection Control in Dentistry (Third Edition ed., pp. 185- 193). Philadelphia: Wolters Kumar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
(2014) shed light on two key components for infection control, which includes protecting patients from acquiring infections and protecting health care workers from becoming infected (Curchoe et al., 2014). The techniques that are used to protect patients also provide protection for nurses and other health care workers alike. In order to prevent the spread of infections, it is important for health care workers to be meticulous and attentive when providing care to already vulnerable patients (Curchoe et al., 2014). If a health care worker is aware they may contaminate the surroundings of a patient, they must properly clean, disinfect, and sterilize any contaminated objects in order to reduce or eliminate microorganisms (Curchoe et al., 2014). It is also ideal to change gloves after contact with contaminated secretions and before leaving a patient’s room (Curchoe, 2014). Research suggests that due to standard precaution, gloves must be worn as a single-use item for each invasive procedure, contact with sterile sites, and non-intact skin or mucous membranes (Curchoe et al., 2014). Hence, it is critical that health care workers change gloves during any activity that has been assessed as carrying a risk of exposure to body substances, secretions, excretions, and blood (Curchoe et al.,
“Researchers in London estimate that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented” (“Hygiene Fast Facts”, 2013, p. 1). Hands are the number one mode of transmission of pathogens. Hands are also vital in patient interaction, and therefore should be kept clean to protect the safety of patients and the person caring for the patient. Hand hygiene is imperative to professional nursing practice because it prevents the spread of pathogens, decreases chances of hospital-acquired infections, and promotes patient safety. There is a substantial amount of evidence that shows why hand hygiene is important in healthcare
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Program is an essential force maximizing quality, patient centered care, and safety throughout the Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS). The VANTHCS “... is a progressive health care provider in the heart of Texas ... we serve more than 117,000 Veterans and deliver 1.4 million outpatient episodes of care each year to Veterans in 38 Texas counties and two counties in southern Oklahoma” (“VA North Texas,” 2016, para. 1). The purpose of the IPC Program is to guide a facility-wide approach toward identifying, preventing, controlling, and eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This approach is facilitated through infection control (IC) practitioner’s role-modeling behaviors of assessing, supporting, guiding, and/or directing healthcare providers (HCPs) in the application of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to prevent HAIs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HAIs are often preventable adverse events that pose a major threat to patient safety (“Centers for Disease,” 2016). As a result, IC practitioners recognize the importance of preparing nurse faculty to engage clinical staff in the application of EBPs to prevent infections.
...s and hoses, control buttons, switches, hand pieces, and X-ray units (Collins). After every patient’s visit, the operatory is to be sterilized and disinfected. All areas that were that were not covered with a barrier, or if the barrier was compromised, must be wiped down with surface disinfectants similarly used in hospitals. OSHA requires disinfectants to be potent enough to fight against HIV and HBV infections (Collins). If there is any blood present on a surface, tuberculocidal type disinfectant should be utilized.
Avoiding infection or, at least, breaking the chain of transmission is vital in any setting, but more so in healthcare environments where infections and vulnerable hosts are moving under the same roof. What needs to be done, then?
Although the importance of aseptic technique has been continually reiterated, I have realised its substantial role in the perioperative environment. Aseptic technique refers to the practice of creating and maintaining a sterile environment used for sterile procedures (Laws, 2010a). This is incredibly important as repetitive minor breaches of the sterile environment is one of the major factors increasing the risk of surgical site infection (Harrop et al., 2012).