Infection control review Flashcards
What are three potential sources of infection in the dental practice?
Patients suffering from an infectious disease
Patients in prodromal or convalescent stage
Healthy carriers of disease
How can we manage patients with acute infections?
Patients with acute infections are very infectious and can release large numbers of pathogens.
Usually its good policy to postpone elective treatment during infective period as this reduces risk of patient - professional transmission and improves patient comfort.
However if a patient who is ill does turn up we have to be willing and able to treat them.
How can we manage patients in prodromal and convalescent stage of infection?
these patients are also infectious - they carry a serious risk of infection as patients may think they are no longer infectious.
however we still must treat them if needed.
We need to identify their carrier status through thorough medical history.
What are three routes of infection transmission in dental practice?
Most common - direct or indirect contact.
- person to person
- indirectly via contaminated equipment and fluids.
Parenteral transmission via the bloodstream
- sharps injuries/broken skin.
Airborne and respiratory secretions
- spray of handpiece in dental unit.
- insufficient ventilation system
Herpes
HSV-1 = oral region HSV-2 = genital infections
Transmitted via exposure of the mucosa or skin to infectious secreta (saliva) or contents of a HIV blister.
Asymptomatic transmission.
How can we reduce risk of catching herpes in dental practice?
Wear PPE and postpone elective treatment during active infection.
What is varicella zoster virus and how is it transmitted??
HZV is a highly contagious virus which causes Varicella (chickenpox in infants )and Herpes Zoster (shingles in adults).
HIV and dental practice
low risk with needle stick injurys - 0.3%,
What is the main way hepatitis B is transmitted?
blood and bodily fluids in contact with mucous membranes or broken skin, percutaneous injuries
Where is hepatitis B found in the highest concentration?
gingival sulcus - elevated in periodontitis.
Hepatitis C and dental practice transmission
HCV can be transmitted through percutaneous injury or contact between mucous membranes or broken skin with blood or other bodily fluids.
Low risk of transmission in dental practice.
How can we prevent the transmission of Hepatitis in dental practice
Steralization and disinfection of equipment and surfaces.
PPE.
Safe injection practices
What are the three common bacterial infections in dental practice?
TB - low risk
- main transmission in patients from high incidence areas
- patients with reactivated TB infections (such as elderly who have been exposed to TB in their youth).
Leigionella spp
- from contaminated dental unit water lines.
- can cause legionnaires disease or pantiac fever.
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureas (MRSA)
- potential to transmit from dental to patients and vise versa through contaminated surface.
