Orthotown May 2017 - 46

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Sterilization and disinfection of patient care items
and devices
*

Have manufacturer instructions for reprocessing reusable
dental instruments and equipment readily available-ideally
in or near the reprocessing area.
* Label sterilized items with the sterilizer used, the cycle or
load number, the date of sterilization and, if applicable, the
expiration date.
* Ensure routine maintenance for sterilization equipment
is performed according to manufacturer instructions and
maintenance records are available.
One emphasis of the CDC Summary is the importance of
having an individual in every dental practice assigned to be the
infection-prevention coordinator. This person will be responsible
for developing written infection-prevention policies for the practice,
communicating with all team members to address infection-prevention
issues, and ensuring that the practice has the necessary equipment
and supplies.

Infection-prevention coordinator responsibilities in your
practice would include:
* Review existing policies and standard operating procedures.
* Identify gaps and outdated information.
* Develop written infection-prevention policies and
procedures.
* Act as a resource for the rest of the team or organization.
* Maintain related permits, licenses and other documents.
* Provide training and education related to infection
prevention.
* Monitor compliance through observations, checklists and
other methods.
* Evaluate current systems:
º Immunization of the team.
º Occupational exposure to infectious materials.
º Post-exposure management.
º Hand hygiene procedures.
º Use of personal protective equipment.
* Monitor the sterilization process.
* Evaluate safety devices.
* Monitor dental unit water quality
Training your team on infection-prevention guidelines and
protocols should be documented, and each team member should
have a signed copy in his or her personnel file. This will help protect
the doctor and practice in case of an accident in the office. (If a
team member becomes injured and hasn't trained, it leaves the
doctor open for responsibility.) Training must be done at hiring,
annually, and when processes, products or tasks change. There may
be additional state regulations that must be met.
The CDC has developed an infection prevention checklist that
offices can use to determine their level of compliance, available on
its website. Once the checklist is completed, areas for improvement
or change will be clear, and a plan of action can be put in place. ■
References
1. http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/guidelines

Download your free copy
of the new CDC Summary
To download the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's Summary, go to
cdc.gov/oralhealth and click "Infection
Prevention & Control," then look for the
guidelines and recommendations section.

46

MAY 2017 // orthotown.com
http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/guidelines http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown May 2017
