The Westchester School for Medical and Dental Assistants is considered one of the top dental assistant courses in NY for plenty of reasons – and one is that we are genuinely focused on preparing our students for a full career in the dental field. We don’t merely cover the bare minimum. We want our students up-to-date on best practices and primed to continue their education as their career moves forward.

So today, we’re focusing on one of the most important issues in dentistry: infection control. Dental patients are at high risk of infection, and every person on a dental staff can help reduce the risk – including dental assistants.

What are current best practices for mitigating infections in dental clinics?

1. Understanding the Problem

There are three basic vectors which can result in dental patients becoming infected:

• Patient-to-patient transmissions
• Dentist-to-patient transmissions
• Cross-contamination in instruments and equipment

While there is little that can be done on the first point, the second two are addressable within a dental clinic. For example, many professionals underestimate the infectious potential of various materials within the clinic, such as discarded cotton swabs, or even hand towels in the bathrooms acting as vectors for disease transmission.

Dental assistants in New York should also keep in mind that the concern is not merely oral diseases. Almost any disease can potentially be transmitted between patients and dental professionals, and the field is considered particularly at risk of transmitting respiratory illnesses – something which unfortunately became clear during the COVID-19 outbreak.

There are several key areas of concern related to the reduction of disease transmission.

• Reducing direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood
• Improving sterilization procedures to reduce indirect transmission via instruments or environmental surfaces
• Limiting exposure to nasal contaminants via airborne mucus or saliva
• Recognizing materials with a high likelihood of contamination – such as dental pumice, which has a porous makeup that easily harbors captured microorganisms.

A dental clinic that recognizes these threats and moves to mitigate them will be well-positioned to reduce the number of preventable infections among its staff and patients. A well-trained dental assistant can be part of this process.

II. Actionable Measures to Reduce Disease Transmission

How can a dental clinic – and a dental assistant – help reduce disease transmission? These are currently some of the priority areas to focus on.

1 – Improved patient screening

In theory, patient screening and discussions of their medical history should encompass their entire health situation, not merely their dental issues. However, this is often overlooked or brushed aside for the sake of efficiency – leading to gaps in knowledge regarding the patient’s potential to become infected or pass infections on.

Detailed patient screenings should happen before every appointment, including questions regarding their overall health or any infections since the last appointment. Ideally, this should be used to establish trends in their medical history that can be tracked over time. Thermal monitoring is also recommended, although the practice has become more commonplace since the COVID outbreak.

2 – Improved personal hygiene

Every member of the dental staff should place a high priority on personal hygiene. Even the assistant at the front desk can potentially become a vector of disease transmission. Some key points to focus on here:

• Thorough and frequent washing of hands and forearms, even if there is no direct contact with patients.
• Keeping hair clear of the face, either by cutting it short, or utilizing hair nets, ties, etc, to keep hair in place, similar to the food service industry. Otherwise, inadvertent hair contact can provide a method of transmission.
• Minimizing the use of jewelry and removing all jewelry on the hands and arms during any patient contact – including wedding bands.
• Maintaining a short fingernail length and keeping them well-cleaned. Fingernail polish should be avoided.
• Reduction of facial hair in male employees. Facial hair should always be covered by PPE.
• Maintaining up-to-date immunizations against common diseases such as the flu and hepatitis B.

3 – Expanded use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

COVID also demonstrated the importance of PPE in the dental industry, and clinics have generally begun making more extensive use of it.

• Gloves should be worn at all times when working with patients and changed out after each patient.
• Masks should also be worn whenever in the patient treatment area, and whenever working with dental appliances and prostheses.
• Eyeglasses should have side protection. This includes patients; have regularly sterilized eye protection available.
• Face shields are highly recommended for all workers in all roles.
• Barrier garments should always be worn when treating patients, and always changed between patients.

III. Proper Instrument Sterilization Procedures

Instruments are one of the most common vectors for disease transmission, so sterilization must be a high priority at all times. There are several potential methods of sterilization, with their own advantages and disadvantages. Sterilization is typically a duty for certified dental assistants, so knowledge of these methods is critical.

• Steaming at 250F for 20-30 minutes or 275F for 5-10 minutes: This provides good penetration and is typically highly effective but be aware that carbon steel will corrode. It’s also inappropriate for plastic and rubber items and may leave hard water spots on instruments.
• Unsaturated Chemical Vapor at 275FC for 20 minutes: This reduces the chances of corroding carbon steel, and leaves items dry. However, it may still damage plastic and rubber objects.
• Dry oven heat at 320F for 1-2 hours: This process is dry and has no chance of corrosion, but also may damage rubber and plastic. Also, be careful to never open the door during a cycle.
• High heat transfer at 375F for 6-12 minutes: A shorter cycle makes this a fast way to sterilize sensitive equipment, but as with other heat-focused sterilization methods, it may damage rubber and plastic.

Are you looking at a new career as a dental assistant? The Westchester School for Medical and Dental Assistants is a top dental assistant school in New York. We can put you on track for a new career in as little as 6-9 months!

Contact us to learn more about our programs.