Infectious hazards In dentistry Flashcards
What disease do prions cause?
Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob (vCJD)
Clinical Relevance of prions
Clean and sterile instruments
What disease is caused by viruses?
Respiratory infections and blood borne infections
Clinical relevance of viruses
Occupational health infection prevention
What disease is caused by bacteria?
Dental infections
Clinical relevance of bacteria
Antimicrobial stewardship
What disease is caused by fungi?
Oral Candidiasis
Clinical relevance of fungi
Oral health and antimicrobial stewardship
What is the chain of infection?
Infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host
Describe prions
No DNA or RNA, asymptomatic carriage, relatively resistant to steam sterilisation
Describe viruses
Respiratory disease caused by AGP
What happens to large droplets
Evaporate and become smaller
What are aerosols
Particles that remain suspended due to size and/or environmental conditions
What are droplets
Particles that fall to the ground/surface under the influence of gravity and/or the momentum of an infected person’s exhaled air
What are the traditional size guidelines for modes of transmission
Aerosol smaller than 5 micrometers
Droplets between 5 and 100 micrometers
Splatter is bigger than 100 micrometers
How can airborne transmission beyond 2m occur for SARS-CoV-2
Poorly ventilated indoor setting, prolonged exposure and activities that generate more aerosols
Dental surgery ventilation
Recommended to provide 10 air changes per hour
What is the most common yeast causing infections in the oral cavity?
Candida albicans
Outline the engineering controls to prevent infection in dentistry
Rubber dams, high Volume aspiration, effective surgery ventilation and isolate people from hazards
What is the hierarchy of controls going from most to least effective
Elimination - physically remove the hazard
Substitution - replace the hazard
Engineering controls - isolate people from the hazard
Administrative controls - change the way people work
PPE - Protect the worker with personal protective equipment
What are the types of PPE worn by dentists
Disposable filtering facepiece respirator, reusable half-mask respirator with a particle filter, full face tight-fitting facepiece, and a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) with a head mounted loose-fitting full-face visor
What can cause bacterial endotoxins to spread
Dental unit waterline aerosols
What do studies show the temporal onset of asthma is associated with
Occupational exposure to contaminated DUWL
What is the desirable ventilation in normal situations
8-10 l/s person (800-1000 ppm of CO2)
What is the desirable ventilation for spaces with enhanced aerosol generation rate
Typically 10-15 l/s/person to maintain CO2 concentrations below 800ppm
What is mad cow disease?
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Name the components of bacterial endotoxins
O-antigen, Core Polysaccharide, glucose amine, lipid A and fatty acids
Why is oral candidiasis hard to treat?
Can cause outbreaks in healthcare settings, can be difficult to identify and often multi drug resistant
What is the purpose of safety dental syringes
To reduce the risk that human error can cause an incident, eliminates the need for re-sheathing or removal of a needle from a syringe
What vaccines should dental students receive?
MenACWY, MMR and HPV
Name the components of HIV
Enzymes and 2 strands of RNA, Structural Proteins, Lipid envelope and Receptor Complex
What is periapical infection/abscess
A build up of pus in the tooth, gum or jaw due to a bacterial infection
Label the diagram associated with periapical infection
Infection via carious cavity or traumatised crown, infection via periodontal ligament, infected or necrotic pulp, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, apical foramen, periapical infection
What are the two types of Candida albicans
Erythematous (red) candidiasis and pseudomembranous (false membrane) candidiasis
