Infection Prevention and Safety

State oral health programs have a shared responsibility for the safe delivery of oral health care. ASTDD is partnering with the Association for Dental Safety (ADS) to link states to technical assistance, educational materials, information on policy development and other resources on infection prevention and safety. ADS is a non-profit membership association that focuses exclusively on dental infection prevention, occupational health, and patient safety education and training. ASTDD and ADS have identified a number of resources that may be helpful to state oral health programs.

• ADS Public Health Dentistry webpage
• ADS Mobile and Portable webpage
• Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health Care Settings 2003. This CDC MMWR contains information on boil-water Alerts (see page 30 and page 45).
• Site Assessment Worksheet for Dental programs Using Mobile and Portable Dental Equipment
• Infection Control Checklist for Dental Programs Using Mobile Vans or Portable Dental Equipment

For further information about Infection Prevention and Safety Guidelines, Education, and Training, Policies and Other Resources see ADS.

Other safety issues include ergonomics, eye protection, use of visible light cure units, noise control, handling of dental mercury, ventilation, nitrous oxide, radiation from dental x-rays, etc.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DentalCheck: Infection Prevention & Control Checklist

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - Numerous resources and a searchable database.

Safety and Health Topics for Dentistry from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - OSHA standards and directives related to dentistry.

Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual, Chapter 4, Section VIII - Numerous resources that apply to dental and other healthcare settings.