Practice infection control co-ordinator

Infection control has been a central issue in dentistry for more than 35 years. Compliance today is demanding because governmental regulations and guidelines have progressively become more complex. Also, reports of patient-to-patient disease transmission related to infection control breaches in medical and dental facilities have increased public awareness and concern.

All dental settings, regardless of the level of care provided, must make infection control a priority and should be equipped to observe Standard Precautions and other infection prevention recommendations contained in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings 2003.¹

In March 2016, CDC published its Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care. It includes several recommendations and information published since 2003 plus an assessment checklist to evaluate practice compliance.²

One of the fundamental elements needed to prevent transmission of infectious agents is application of effective administrative measures. This includes a recommendation that every dental practice has a written exposure control plan and to assign at least one person trained (or willing to be trained) to be an infection control co-ordinator (ICC).²