Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care

Transmission of infectious agents among patients and dental health care personnel (DHCP) in dental settings is rare. However, from 2003 to 2015, transmissions in dental settings, including patient-to-patient transmissions, have been documented.1 – 4 In most cases, investigators failed to link a specific lapse of infection prevention and control with a particular transmission. However, reported breakdowns in basic infection prevention procedures included unsafe injection practices, failure to heat sterilize dental handpieces between patients, and failure to monitor (e.g., conduct spore testing) autoclaves.2,3 These reports highlight the need for comprehensive training to improve understanding of underlying principles, recommended practices, their implementation, and the conditions that have to be met for disease transmission.
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