Infectious hazards In dentistry

Question 1

What disease do prions cause?

Answer 1

Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob (vCJD)

Question 2

Clinical Relevance of prions

Answer 2

Clean and sterile instruments

Question 3

What disease is caused by viruses?

Answer 3

Respiratory infections and blood borne infections

Question 4

Clinical relevance of viruses

Answer 4

Occupational health infection prevention

Question 5

What disease is caused by bacteria?

Answer 5

Dental infections

Question 6

Clinical relevance of bacteria

Answer 6

Antimicrobial stewardship

Question 7

What disease is caused by fungi?

Answer 7

Oral Candidiasis

Question 8

Clinical relevance of fungi

Answer 8

Oral health and antimicrobial stewardship

Question 9

What is the chain of infection?

Answer 9

Infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host

Question 10

Describe prions

Answer 10

No DNA or RNA, asymptomatic carriage, relatively resistant to steam sterilisation

Question 11

Describe viruses

Answer 11

Respiratory disease caused by AGP

Question 12

What happens to large droplets

Answer 12

Evaporate and become smaller

Question 13

What are aerosols

Answer 13

Particles that remain suspended due to size and/or environmental conditions

Question 14

What are droplets

Answer 14

Particles that fall to the ground/surface under the influence of gravity and/or the momentum of an infected person’s exhaled air

Question 15

What are the traditional size guidelines for modes of transmission

Answer 15

Aerosol smaller than 5 micrometers
Droplets between 5 and 100 micrometers
Splatter is bigger than 100 micrometers

Question 16

How can airborne transmission beyond 2m occur for SARS-CoV-2

Answer 16

Poorly ventilated indoor setting, prolonged exposure and activities that generate more aerosols

Question 17

Dental surgery ventilation

Answer 17

Recommended to provide 10 air changes per hour

Question 18

What is the most common yeast causing infections in the oral cavity?

Answer 18

Candida albicans

Question 19

Outline the engineering controls to prevent infection in dentistry

Answer 19

Rubber dams, high Volume aspiration, effective surgery ventilation and isolate people from hazards

Question 20

What is the hierarchy of controls going from most to least effective

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What are the types of PPE worn by dentists

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What can cause bacterial endotoxins to spread

Answer 22

Dental unit waterline aerosols

Question 23

What do studies show the temporal onset of asthma is associated with

Answer 23

Occupational exposure to contaminated DUWL

Question 24

What is the desirable ventilation in normal situations

Answer 24

8-10 l/s person (800-1000 ppm of CO2)

Question 25

What is the desirable ventilation for spaces with enhanced aerosol generation rate

Answer 25

Typically 10-15 l/s/person to maintain CO2 concentrations below 800ppm

Question 26

What is mad cow disease?

Answer 26

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Question 27

Name the components of bacterial endotoxins

Answer 27

O-antigen, Core Polysaccharide, glucose amine, lipid A and fatty acids

Question 28

Why is oral candidiasis hard to treat?

Answer 28

Can cause outbreaks in healthcare settings, can be difficult to identify and often multi drug resistant

Question 29

What is the purpose of safety dental syringes

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What vaccines should dental students receive?

Answer 30

MenACWY, MMR and HPV

Question 31

Name the components of HIV

Answer 31

Enzymes and 2 strands of RNA, Structural Proteins, Lipid envelope and Receptor Complex

Question 32

What is periapical infection/abscess

Answer 32

A build up of pus in the tooth, gum or jaw due to a bacterial infection

Question 33

Label the diagram associated with periapical infection

Answer 33

Infection via carious cavity or traumatised crown, infection via periodontal ligament, infected or necrotic pulp, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, apical foramen, periapical infection

Question 34

What are the two types of Candida albicans

Answer 34

Erythematous (red) candidiasis and pseudomembranous (false membrane) candidiasis