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Healthcare Pathway Spotlight:
Sterilization, Sanitation, Disinfection
What is Infection Control?
Dental assistants safeguard patient health by ensuring the office environment is clean. Instruments and dental equipment harbor dangerous pathogens if improperly sanitized; even a waiting area can spread common infections.
Dentist’s offices can harbor dangerous pathogens. Dental assistants implement infection control measures to keep patients safe from unseen microbes. This includes sanitizing treatment rooms between visits and sterilizing instruments to ensure a hygienic environment.
The term “infection control” refers to procedures that minimize the risk of infections in healthcare settings. Only three things are required for infections to occur:
1) A SOURCE
A reservoir for germs exists wherever conditions are favorable for their growth. Examples in a dental office include dental instruments, human mouths, and skin.
2) A HOST
A host is a person vulnerable to infection. In a dental office, that includes patients and staff.
3) A MODE OF TRANSMISSION
For germs to cause infections, they must move from the reservoir to the host. Pathogens in a dental office can travel by instruments, skin, and body fluids, including saliva and respiratory droplets. Universal infection control protocols prevent the spread of disease by creating barriers between sources and hosts and eliminating transmission modes.
What is Infection Control?
Dental assistants safeguard patient health by ensuring the office environment is clean. Instruments and dental equipment harbor dangerous pathogens if improperly sanitized; even a waiting area can spread common infections.
Dentist’s offices can harbor dangerous pathogens. Dental assistants implement infection control measures to keep patients safe from unseen microbes. This includes sanitizing treatment rooms between visits and sterilizing instruments to ensure a hygienic environment.
The term “infection control” refers to procedures that minimize the risk of infections in healthcare settings. Only three things are required for infections to occur:
1) A SOURCE
A reservoir for germs exists wherever conditions are favorable for their growth. Examples in a dental office include dental instruments, human mouths, and skin.
For germs to cause infections, they must move from the reservoir to the host. Pathogens in a dental office can travel by instruments, skin, and body fluids, including saliva and respiratory droplets. Universal infection control protocols prevent the spread of disease by creating barriers between sources and hosts and eliminating transmission modes.
What is Infection Control?
Dental assistants safeguard patient health by ensuring the office environment is clean. Instruments and dental equipment harbor dangerous pathogens if improperly sanitized; even a waiting area can spread common infections.
Dentist’s offices can harbor dangerous pathogens. Dental assistants implement infection control measures to keep patients safe from unseen microbes. This includes sanitizing treatment rooms between visits and sterilizing instruments to ensure a hygienic environment.
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