Page 35 - Compendium Chapters for Course 1 (IC, DPA, OSHA)

Every dental healthcare worker should ensure that each patient is protected against risk of infection from contamination. To accomplish this, the dental operatory and adjacent support areas must be processed for infection control between each patient. Three major steps regarding infection control in the dental operatory include the following:
1. Aseptic preparation of the operatory.
2. Control of contamination generated during treatment.
3. Disposal of consumable products and sterilization and disinfection of reusable materials.
Clinical contact surfaces are considered to be countertops, dental carts, patient chairs, and operator stools to name a few. Housekeeping surfaces are considered to be floors, walls and sinks.
BETWEEN PATIENT OPERATORY PREPARATION
To efficiently prepare an operatory, it should be arranged to facilitate thorough cleaning following each patient. To achieve this, the operatory must be kept as uncluttered as possible to reduce the number of items that could become contaminated. This includes reducing the number of items on tables and counter tops. Seldom-used equipment and materials should be removed from the operatory. For the best infection-control results, only supplies essential to the scheduled procedure should be on the counter or assistant cart.
INDIVIDUAL TRAY SET-UPS
The clinical staff must organize the materials for treatment in advance. The individualized tray system for each procedure has all instruments and items normally used for categorical clinical procedures.
The tray system not only includes instruments but also contains sufficient consumable supplies to complete a given procedure. The consumables are dispensed by unit dose, which means that each tray contains enough supplies for that procedure only. Typical consumable items include gauze squares, cotton pellets, cotton rolls, applicator sticks, and rubber dams. Having the tray set up eliminates cross-contamination of the general supply stock; because the clinician does not reach into a supply container while working on a patient. This also reduces unnecessary re- sterilization of consumable supplies.
The unit dose concept is extended to instruments; for example, the dental team may use individual, sterilized bur blocks for each procedure. Using individualized blocks containing only the burs required for a given procedure eliminates the contamination of other, unneeded burs, and additional cleanup is not required.
Intro Page - 35
Introductory Chapter: Dental Practice Act, Infection Control and Cal-OSHA
The California RDAEF: A Compendium for Licensure Success © The Foundation for Allied Dental Education, Inc. 2016 Copyright protected. All rights reserved