Page 39 - Compendium Chapters for Course 1 (IC, DPA, OSHA)

Virtually no infection control problem exists with rag wheels and brushes if the prostheses are disinfected before laboratory work. In practice, this is not always feasible.
Actual work on the appliance should be done with unused supplies such as fresh pumice for each new case and sterilized material including reusable rag wheels. The work area must have a vacuum exhaust system capable of containing any aerosol generated during the grinding or polishing steps. After completion of the appliance, the pumice will be discarded, the pumice tray cleaned and disinfected using an intermediate-level disinfectant, and a new sterilized or disposable rag wheel placed on the device. The splash guard will be disinfected with an intermediate-level disinfectant.
All lab burs and rotary devices must be cleaned and sterilized in accordance with the same procedures used for semi-critical instruments.
(24) All intraoral items such as impressions, bite registrations, prosthetic and orthodontic appliances shall be cleaned and disinfected with an intermediate-level disinfectant before manipulation in the laboratory and before placement in the patient's mouth. Such items shall be thoroughly rinsed prior to placement in the patient's mouth.
IMPRESSIONS
Ideally, a dental impression should be rinsed with tap water after removal from the mouth and then disinfected. Several different disinfectants can be used. The rinsed impressions are placed in a closable container with an appropriate disinfecting solution. Zip-lock plastic bags work well in this application.
Polyether-based impressions do not perform well when immersed in most disinfectants. For polyether impressions, the only recommended procedure is to spray them with disinfectant and keep them moist with disinfectant-treated towels. Care must be taken to not generate excessive aerosols or disinfectants in the laboratory. Following a 15-minute exposure to the disinfectant, the impressions are rinsed with water and ready to be poured with stone.
DENTAL STONE CASTS
Poured gypsum casts may be sprayed with an intermediate disinfectant after they have been separated from the impression. The cast can also be soaked for ten minutes in an iodophor solution (not applicable to master casts because of the potential for surface damage). This is required only if an impressions was not disinfected before pouring the cast.
Intro Page - 39
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