sterilization, disinfection, and antisepsis- Exam IV Flashcards
transmission of infectious agents among patients and staff in a clinical environment:
cross-infection
management strategies for risk control:
cross-infection control
Possible sources of infection in the dental care setting includes:
- patients with infectious disease
- patients in the prodromal or convalescent stage of infection
- healthy (or asymptomatic) carriers of disease-causing organisms
- Environmental sources
Environmental sources of infection in the dental care setting include:
airborne organisms or biofilms in waterlines or on equipment or instruments
All patients are treated as though they are a potential source of infectious pathogens:
universal precautions
Routes of spread of cross infection includes:
- airborne routes
- contact routes
- parental spread of cross-infection
Airborne routes of spread of cross infection include:
dust-borne routes and aerosol routes
Examples of dust-borne routes include:
____ from skin scales
___ from environmental dust
staph aureus; clostridium tetani
sources of dust-borne routes include:
skin scales, wound dressings, & solid surfaces
Examples of aerosol routes include:
large droplets and droplet nuclei
large droplets are classified as:
contact
Sources of aerosol routes include:
speaking, sneezing, and all intraoral procedures
In what situations is there a massive increase of aerosol routes of cross-infection?
when using ultrasonic scaling, air-rotor, and air/water syringe
aerosols can occur with or without:
aspiration
Prevention of aerosol transmission includes:
- elimination or limitation of organisms at source
- interruption of transmission
Contact routes of spread of cross-infection include:
- person-to-person
- equipment
- fluids
Direct spread by hands and clothes or fomites; large droplets
person-to-person
Person-to-person transmission is a ___ route of transmission
contact
Person-to-person contact route of transmission is:
direct
prevention of person to person contact spread =
hand washing, gloves, and protective clothing
the contact route “equipment” route of spread of cross infection includes:
chairs, instruments, impression materials
Prevention of equipment route of spread of cross infection includes:
- sterilization of instruments
- use of disposals
- disinfection of dental instruments
- environmental hygiene
- defining zones in the dental operatory
- disposal of infected waste
the contact route “fluids” route of spread of cross infection includes:
dental water supplies
Prevention of fluid route of spread of cross infection includes:
flushing water supply lines, using sterile water and using biocide in water
Sources of parenteral spread of cross-infection include:
blood, saliva, secretions
Inoculation of parenteral spread of cross infection is via:
eye, skin breach, mucous membrane, & sharps injury
A sharps injury would be what form of spread of cross infection?
parenteral
Prevention of parenteral spread of cross infection includes:
training in use and disposal of sharps, Hep B vaccine, wearing gloves, dressing wounds
The risk of infection following a needlestick from a seropositive HIV patient:
0.3%
The risk of infection following a needlestick from a seropositive HBV patient:
7-30%
Destruction of all microbial forms (including bacterial spores):
sterilization
Destruction of most microbial forms:
disinfection
What agents are typically used as disinfections:
usually chemical agents
Disinfectants are typically used on:
inanimate objects
List the categories of disinfectants:
- high-level
- intermediate level
- low-level
Inhibition or elimination of microbes on living tissue:
antisepsis
Chemical agents that kill or inhibit growth of microorganisms when applied to tissue:
antiseptics
Reduction of microbial population to levels deemed safe (based on public health standards):
sanitization
Agents that kill microorganisms or inhibit their growth:
antimicrobial agents
“-cidal” refers to agents that:
kill
“-static” refers to agents that:
inhibit growth
Microorganisms are not killed:
instantly
The population of microbial death usually occurs:
exponentially
Microorganisms are considered to be dead when:
they are unable to reproduce in conditions that normally support their reproduction
When looking at an exponential plot of microbial survivors versus the minutes of exposure to heating t 121 degrees Celsius, once the population has been greatly reduced, the rate of killing may:
slow due to resistant individuals
Conditions influencing the effectiveness of antimicrobial agent activity include: (6)
- population size
- population composition
- concentration or intensity of an antimicrobial agent
- duration of exposure
- temperature
- local environment (pH, viscosity, etc.)
The use of physical methods in control of microbial agents include:
heat, low temps, filtration, and radiation
heat type that is effective against all types of microorganisms:
moist heat
Moist heat works by degrading ____, denaturing ____, and disrupting ___.
nucleic acids; proteins; membranes
an example of moist heat use in a dental practice:
autoclave