DENTAL HYGIENE STANDARDS
At Doctor's Dental Clinic we maintain strict responsibility to disinfect impressions and laboratory-made items even if the commercial dental laboratory carries out its own hygiene measures. After treatment of each patient and at the completion of daily work activities, countertops and dental unit surfaces should be cleaned using an appropriate cleaning agent and water. Surfaces then should be disinfected with a suitable chemical germicide and disposable toweling.
Single-use disposable instruments (e.g., prophylaxis angles; prophylaxis cups and brushes; tips for high-speed air evacuators, saliva ejectors, and air/water syringes) should be used for one patient only and discarded appropriately. These items are neither designed nor intended for reuse.
Dental Treatment Hygiene
The following are the hygiene standards strictly followed at Doctor's Dental Clinic.
* Protective attire and barrier techniques
* Sterilization or disinfection of instruments
* Cleaning and disinfection of dental unit and environmental surfaces
* Disinfection of hand pieces, antiretraction valves, and other intra-oral dental devices attached to air and water lines of dental unit
* Single-use disposable instruments and gloves
* Implementation of recommended infection-control practices for dentist
As with other medical and surgical instruments, dental instruments are classified as following depending on their risk of transmitting infection and the need to sterilize them between uses. Each dental practice should classify all instruments as follows: Surgical and other instruments used to penetrate soft tissue or bone are classified as critical and should be sterilized after each use. These devices include forceps, scalpels, bone chisels, scalers, and burs.
Instruments such as mirrors and amalgam condensers that do not penetrate soft tissues or bone but contact oral tissues are classified as semicritical. These devices should be sterilized after each use. If, however, sterilization is not feasible because the instrument will be damaged by heat, the instrument should receive, at a minimum, high-level disinfection.