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Dental Office Infection Control Myth Busters: Handpieces

Dental Office Infection Control Myth Busters: Handpieces
by Tija Hunter

I’ve found that there is so much misinformation out there about infection control in the dental setting. Instead of relying on a good source for information, people tend to “do what they’ve always done,” or, they hear something but never check to see if it’s true.

When you want to go to the authorities on infection control, you need to go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP). These are the people who set the guidelines for how we should clean, disinfect, and sterilize our surfaces, instruments, and operatories.

A common myth I hear when I visit dental offices has to do with handpieces and whether they should be sterilized. I’ve been told, “This is a gray area, and not something that has to be done.” While it’s true that the CDC is clear about handpiece sterilization, the CDC is not a regulatory agency. It doesn’t make laws. Rather, it creates guidelines and comes up with recommendations.

Handpieces today are meant to be sterilized and are for the benefit of patients. Many state dental boards pick up what the CDC recommends and write the recommendations into their Dental Practice Acts, making the recommendations laws. Do you know what your state Dental Practice Act says about infection control?

It’s not just the dentist’s job to know what infection control procedures should be in place in the practice. Dental assistants make up the greatest number of oral health-care workers and, as such, are responsible for ensuring that patients receive the highest standard of care.

Read full article on Dentistry iQ.