ipl-logo

Oral Infection Prevention

1898 Words8 Pages

Introduction The risk of infection among patients and dental health care personnel through dental practice is rare. However, transmissions of infectious agents in dental settings, including patient-to-patient transmissions have been documented from 2003 to 2016. [1] It was reported that in June 20, 2013, patients who received treatment in an oral surgery clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were tested for blood-borne pathogens, 74 tested positive for hepatitis C, 5 for hepatitis B, and 3 for HIV. This facility was believed to have exposed as many as 7000 patients to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C over a 6-year period, due to numerous violations of infection control protocols, including unsanitary and unsafe conditions, improper dispensing …show more content…

Risk in Dental Practice
Dentists work in an environment where they are frequently exposed to a number of occupational hazards. One of them is the risk of transmission of organisms found in mouth or nasopharnyx of their patients. It is important for dentists to be aware of those types of infections including their modes of transmission so that they would know the way to prevent them .Those microorganisms can be spread through contact, droplet and airborne transmission. Dentists have to practice preventive measures every time as some of the carriers may be …show more content…

Infection prevention and control measures aim to ensure the protection of those who might be vulnerable to acquiring an infection both in the general community and while receiving care due to health problems. The basic principle of infection prevention and control is hygiene.
Every year, lives are lost because of the spread of infections in hospitals. Hence, health care workers should take steps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by practicing and improving infection control.

References:
1. Redd JT, Baumbach J, Kohn W, et al. Patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B virus associated with oral surgery. J Infect Dis. 2007;195(9):1311–1314.
2. Marie T. Fluent, DDS. Infection Control in the Dental Office: Compliance Revisited. Available at: https://www.hu-friedy.com/products/mastercontrol/index/file/id/317
3. Wikipedia: Infection control.
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infection_control#Antimicrobial_surfaces
4. National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings – December 2011. Available at :

Show More
Related
771 Words | 4 Pages

Staphylococcus epidermidis is an opportunistic pathogen, meaning that they can cause infection more frequently and more easily in persons’ with a weakened immune system such as, HIV patients (CDC, 2015). This organism is seen primarily in nosocomial infections, also known as, hospital-acquired infections (Bukhari, 2004). This means that the organisms favors the hospital environment and is easily passed to a person while they are in the hospital. Ways that a person can get a Staphylococcus epidermidis infection is through IV’s, more commonly in drug users, catheters, and artificial equipment (Bukhari, 2004). Skin-to-skin contact can also be a form of getting this type of infection.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

Cleanings & Checkups Checkups Cleanings Gum Disease Treatment Tooth-Colored Fillings You’ll get a friendly, warm welcome when you arrive. We take digital x-rays and intraoral images to give you accurate treatment. Our friendly hygienists will take good care of your teeth and gum health. Your first visit

Read More
320 Words | 2 Pages

Through the learning from week 1 and week 2, I have learnt that the most frequent adverse event in health-care delivery is health care-associated infections. It is essential for us to follow the infection control practices that both patients and us are at a risk of being infected. Standard Precautions involve the use of safe work practices and protective barriers, for example, the use of personal protective equipment(PPE). At first, I think Standard Precautions are very easy. Everyone knows PPE can protect us from infections and hand hygiene is important throughout the process.

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

Dental hygiene is a unique field. It is the only healthcare field that is preventative based, meaning that the goal of the dental hygienist is to educate their patients on how to improve and maintain good oral health while preventing disease. Dental hygienists have a list of core values that were established by the American Dental Hygienist Association (ADHA) in 1927. These values are a crucial part of the profession and must be implemented everyday by the hygienist to provide care and make sure each patients needs are met. These values consist of autonomy, confidentiality, societal trust, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fairness, and veracity.

Read More
286 Words | 2 Pages

Someday I might become a dental hygienist because they make a lot of money. Along with, educating patients about the importance of oral health. In a general dentist’s office the dental hygienist plays an important role, such as educating patients on the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene and preventive oral care. These practices include, brush and floss their teeth correctly, select the correct type of toothbrush for their teeth. They also inform patients on how to maintain a good diet to improve their dental and gum health.

Read More
941 Words | 4 Pages

Hand washing or isolation of the sick persons with infections in the prevention of hospital acquired infections. 5. Does the use of hand washing, and antisepsis lower the rate of hospital acquired infections? The fifth PICOT question is selected because of the reported low compliance percentage among medical caregivers.

Read More
310 Words | 2 Pages

I believe this career path is important to the health of populations because of how a person 's oral health and overall health are connected. Correspondingly, the article The Role of Dental Hygienists in Providing Access to Oral Health Care written by Amanda Dunker, Esther Krofah, and Fredrick Isasi states how oral health is an integral part of physical health and wellbeing. The oral diseases that come from the mouth (periodontal, cavities, gingivitis. etc..) have become issues for millions of Americans and can lead to serious consequences, including major chronic diseases, pain, time off from work and school, negative social development in children, and loss of teeth (2014 p.1). As can be seen, the influence dental hygiene can have on

Read More
678 Words | 3 Pages

While working with dentists, dental hygienist should follow the instruction precisely and must be detail oriented. One should also have physical stamina as the work is performed by bending most of the time and also have a very good communication skill to inform about oral health and advice about different oral products and their benefits and uses to the patients. Good working hands are required as different instruments are used, so hands must be precise and steady. Dental hygienists help patients develop and maintain good oral

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

Professional Interview with an Oral Healthcare Products Sales Representative Dental hygiene education opens many doors to those who are seeking job opportunities in the oral health care industry. Most of the dental hygienists employed in dental offices as practicing dental hygienists; however, there are other job opportunities available in alternative settings in the oral health care industry. It is also paramount that dental hygienists advance their education and thrive to achieve professional growth. Besides taking continuing education courses, one can further his or her education by completing Bachelors or Masters degree that are often required in alternative professional settings. With the development of dental hygiene profession, roles

Read More
763 Words | 4 Pages

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow 36 percent through 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This projected growth ranks dental hygienists among the fastest growing occupations, in response to increasing demand for dental care and more use of hygienists”. Summary Dental hygienists have a great outlook for the occupation for the years to come and with that being said; hopefully the percent of people with fluoridation will increase in all communities.

Read More
1694 Words | 7 Pages

7 / D.P7: Explain how different procedures maintain health and safety in a selected health or social care setting Maintaining health and safety in health and social care is extremely important to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all their service users as well as other individuals service providers may come in contact with in the setting. There are several procedures that help to maintain this health and safety however they can all vary between settings for example, health and safety procedures will be slightly different and more focused on certain areas in hospitals and especially in paediatric ward compared to in drop-in centres where the needs and risk to service users are slightly different. Some of the procedures used in health and social care to maintain health and safety include; infection control and prevention, safe moving and handling of equipment and individuals, food preparation and storage, storage and administration of medication and storage and disposal of hazardous substances.

Read More
1191 Words | 5 Pages

While at first the main focus was on education, the practice of dental hygiene has expanded to include preventative and therapeutic services (Wilkins et al.,). As Dental Hygienists, there are certain factors that affect the way one practices, legal, ethical, and personal are a few. Keep

Read More
1069 Words | 5 Pages

Being a Dental Assistant Dental Assistants can help change a person’s life in many ways. Dental assistants provide their patients a way to stay healthy within oral activities while also providing general happiness to a patient. Assistants work hand in hand with a dental hygienist observing, supporting, and caring for the patients need, whenever they need them. They work with tools, sit and stand long periods per day, and work in one of the dirtiest places on the human body, the mouth (Summary). Dental Assistants practice safety measures, just like any other doctor would, to assure the safety of themselves, along with the safety of their patients and organs that are being worked on from infectious diseases.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

Prophylaxis was completely done in almost 45 minutes. After cleaning the patients’s teeth, Dr.Azhar clearly answered all my questions including: When should one use prophylaxis? Is it an easy process to undergo as dentist? etc. At the beginning, I tried looking for many physicians but most of them did not have free time for shadowing, some did not match my schedule and others were very far from USF.

Read More
1201 Words | 5 Pages

It was a satisfying moment as a nursing student to not be afraid and know how to provide safe and preventative care to reduce the risks for falls, such as having my clinical instructor, a colleague and myself to help a client that has fragile bones and was confused because of their medical diagnosis. As well, we can provide proper prevention and infection control by applying correct hygiene care after assisting a client with an infection such as clostridium difficile. What did not go well after this experience is I found out that this client had clostridium difficile and at first, I was scared that now I am at risk and will acquire this infection. Instead, I looked at it as I am overcoming my fear of the different infections and diseases I will be exposed to as a nurse and that is why learning how to perform proper hygiene is very important. This bad thought turned into a learning curve and that nothing will make me not provide safe and effective care to any client.

Read More

More about Oral Infection Prevention

Related Topics

Open Document