Infection Control

Question 1

Standard Precaution

Answer 1

Designed to protect the health care professional against:

• Blood
• Bodily fluids, excretions (except sweat), whether they contain blood or not
• Non-intact skin
• Mucous membranes
• Saliva

Question 2

Standard precaution is the expanded new term for?

Answer 2

Universal precaution

Question 3

Universal precaution is based on?

Answer 3

the concept that all blood and body fluids that might be contaminated with blood should be treated as infectious because patients with blood-borne infections can be asymptomatic or unaware that they are infected

Question 4

T/F: No operational difference exists in clinical dental practice between universal precautions and standard precautions

Answer 4

True

Question 5

Standard precaution is the proper way to treat?

Answer 5

healthy and diseased patients (unless there is a risk for aerosol infection)

Question 6

HBV is transmitted by?

Answer 6

percutaneous or mucosal exposure to blood or body fluids of a person with the infection

Standard precaution is used

Question 7

AIDS/HIV is transmitted by?

Answer 7

blood, semen, rectal fluids, and breast milk, which must be in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue

Standard precaution is used

The risk of HIV transmission in dental settings is extremely low

The average risk of HIV infection after a single percutaneous exposure is 0.3%

Question 8

Pre-exposure

Answer 8

• Sit the patient and adjust the chair and other tools with bare hands
• Ask the patient to remove any metallic object from his/her mouth
• Place the lead apron on the patient
• Gather additional tools such as cotton rolls, bite block, plastic cups, paper towels, etc.
• Cover items that are likely to be contaminated (e.g., position-indicating device, tube head, swivel arms, countertop, keyboard, mouse, light handle, exposure control switch, headrest, chair controls)
• Receptors should be in plastic covering
• Wash hands, put on gloves.
  PPE should be used if blood or other bodily fluids are likely to contact the clinician
• Wear gloves when exposing radiographs and handling contaminated receptors

Question 9

Post-exposure

Answer 9

• Dispose of all contaminated objects before removing gloves
• Remove gloves, wash hands and remove lead apron
• Receptors and other non-heat tolerant items should be wiped with intermediate-level disinfectants (that include tuberculocidal claim)
• Parts of the radiation machine that contact the patient but are not used intraorally are considered non-critical items and must be disinfected
• Heat-tolerant radiograph items (e.g., receptor-holding and positioning devices) should be heat-sterilized
• Disinfect the lead apron and thyroid collar.