Event Details
Fun Fact: The average office generates over $132,000 of revenue with EACH highspeed handpiece, per YEAR!
Infection Control in dental settings has been an important topic for decades. This is especially true for dental handpieces and other instruments. In the early 1990’s, the first headlines regarding possible transmission of HIV from a dentist to several patients brought the topic to light and shortly thereafter, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published the “Recommended Infection-Control Practices for Dentistry, 1993.” This was followed by the updated and consolidated CDC “Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings – 2003” and the March 2016 CDC “Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings – Basic Expectations for Safe Care.” Additionally, ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) conducted testing to provide the safest processing standards data to instrument manufacturers for their implementation.
Yet, there are still misunderstandings about what the guidelines recommend and how a licensed dental clinician is held accountable to these “guidelines and recommendations.” To that end, specific recommendations exist that are paramount to proper instrument infection control practices as well as state law and State Dental Board rules that necessitate compliance as a condition of licensure. Proper dental instrument maintenance along with manufacturers’ recommendations for maintenance and sterilization can provide compliant infection control strategies. And proper maintenance of instrumentation leads to better instrument function and longer-lasting equipment.
Learning Objectives
After completing this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Analyze the history of current infection control guidelines.
- Examine and discuss key requirements of the CDC guidelines for handpieces and related instruments.
- Evaluate clinician accountability to the infection control guidelines.
- Demonstrate proper cleaning, maintenance, and instrument sterilization techniques while avoiding common mistakes.
AGD Pace does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Individuals seeking dental continuing education requirements or have questions about course eligibility are strongly urged to consult with their respective state board of dentistry for additional information.
