Module 2: Key Terms Flashcards
An infection of short duration that is often severe.
Acute infection
Disease such as HBV, HCV, or HIV infection that is caused by microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood.
Blood-borne disease
Conditions that all must be present for infection to occur.
Chain of infection
An infection of long duration.
Chronic infection
Condition caused by an infection that can be spread from person to person or through contact with body fluids.
Communicable disease
Touching or contact with a patient’s blood or saliva.
Direct contact
An infection that occurs through mucosal surfaces of the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Droplet infection
Ability of the body to resist disease.
Immunity
Touching or contact with a contaminated surface or instrument.
Indirect contact
Policies and practices designed to prevent the spread of infectious agents.
Infection control
Persistent infection with recurrent symptoms that “come and go.”
Latent infection
Any reasonably anticipated skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact or percutaneous injury involving blood or any other potentially infectious materials.
Occupational exposure
Disease-causing organism.
Pathogen
Items such as protective clothing, masks, gloves, and eyewear used to protect employees.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Standard of care designed to protect healthcare providers from pathogens that can be spread by blood or any other body fluid via excretion or secretion;
Standard Precautions
Guidelines based on treating all human blood and body fluids (including saliva) as potentially infectious.
Universal Precautions
Strength of a pathogen’s ability to cause disease; also known as pathogenicity.
Virulence
Substance for killing microorganisms on the skin.
Antiseptic
Blood, saliva, and other body fluids.
Bioburden
Capable of killing a wide range of microbes.
Broad-spectrum activity
Surface touched by contaminated hands, instruments, or spatter during dental treatment.
Clinical contact surface
Chemical used to reduce or lower the numbers of microorganisms on inanimate objects.
Disinfectant
Surface within a healthcare facility that is not directly involved in patient care, but that may become contaminated during the course of treatment (e.g., countertops, floors, walls, instrument control panels).
Environmental surface
A product that is capable of killing fungi.
Fungicidal
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)–registered high-level disinfectant.
Glutaraldehyde
Hospital disinfectant with tuberculocidal activity.
High-level disinfectant
Disinfectant with the ability to kill Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Hospital disinfectant
Surface that is not contaminated during dental treatment (e.g., floors, walls).
Housekeeping surface
Disinfectant used for immersion (soaking) of heat-sensitive instruments.
Immersion disinfectant
Liquid disinfectant with EPA registration as a hospital disinfectant with tuberculocidal activity. It is used for disinfecting operatory surfaces.
Intermediate-level disinfectant
EPA-registered, intermediate-level hospital disinfectant.
Iodophor
Disinfectant that destroys certain viruses and fungi; used for general house cleaning (e.g., walls, floors).
Low-level disinfectant
Removal of bioburden before disinfection.
Precleaning
Action that continues long after initial application, as with disinfectants.
Residual activity
How long a product may be stored before use.
Shelf life
Items that are used on only one patient and then are thrown away.
Single-use items
Surface disinfectant commonly known as household bleach.
Sodium hypochlorite
Surface that does not contact members of the dental team or contaminated instruments or supplies.
Splash, spatter, and droplet surface
Capable of killing bacterial spores.
Sporicidal
Agent that kills all microorganisms.
Sterilant
Process that kills all microorganisms.
Sterilization
Fluid-resistant material used to cover surfaces likely to become contaminated.
Surface barrier
Surface directly touched and contaminated during procedures.
Touch surface
Capable of inactivating tuberculosis-causing microorganisms.
Tuberculocidal
Capable of killing some viruses.
Virucidal
Instrument for sterilization by means of moist heat under pressure.
Autoclave
Vials or strips, also known as spore tests, that contain harmless bacterial spores; used to determine whether sterilization has occurred.
Biologic indicators
Verifies sterilization by confirming that all spore-forming microorganisms have been destroyed.
Biologic monitoring
Place where sterilized instruments, fresh disposable supplies, and prepared trays are stored.
Clean area
Place where contaminated items are brought for precleaning.
Contaminated area
Item used to penetrate soft tissue or bone.
Critical instrument
Item that comes in contact with intact skin only.
Noncritical instrument
Tapes, strips, or tabs with heat-sensitive chemicals that change color when exposed to a certain temperature.
Process indicators
Strips placed in packages that change color when exposed to a combination of heat, temperature, and time.
Process integrators
tem that comes in contact with oral tissues but does not penetrate soft tissue or bone.
Semi-critical instrument
Instrument that loosens and removes debris by sound waves traveling through a liquid.
Ultrasonic cleaner
Federal agency that is non-regulatory and that issues recommendations on health and safety.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Federal regulatory agency whose responsibility it is to protect and restore the environment and public health through environmental laws.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal regulatory agency that regulates food, drugs, medical devices, animal feed and drugs, cosmetics, and radiation-emitting products (cell phones, lasers, microwaves, etc.).
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Federal agency that is non-regulatory and provides national and worldwide leadership to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Federal agency whose mission is to improve oral, dental, and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
One of the world’s foremost research centers.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Federal regulatory agency whose mission is to ensure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
The premier infection control agency in the United States.
Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP):
High levels of exposure over a short period.
Acute exposure
Comprehensive list of every product used in the office that contains chemicals.
Chemical inventory
Repeated exposures, generally to lower levels, over a long time.
Chronic exposure
Items such as gloves and patient napkins that may contain the potentially infectious body fluids of patients.
Contaminated waste
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard regarding employees’ “right to know” about chemicals in the workplace.
Hazard Communication Standard
Waste that poses a risk to humans or to the environment.
Hazardous waste
Form that provides health and safety information regarding materials that contain chemicals.
Material safety data sheet (MSDS)
Infectious waste that requires special handling, neutralization, and disposal.
Regulated waste
Waste that can have a poisonous effect.
Toxic waste
