Preventing the spread of infection is a top priority for dental teams to protect both patients and staff from the danger of exposure to harmful pathogens. Every practice must have strict protocols in place to comply with national and local regulatory guidelines designed to prevent the spread of infection.

Pathogens spread easily in dental practices with many routes of transmission. These include contact with bodily fluids such as blood and saliva, breathing in pathogen-containing aerosols, infected droplets from people coughing, sneezing and talking, and contact with contaminated equipment, instruments and surfaces.

Dental teams are obliged to keep their infection control knowledge and skills up-to-date and continually assess where any area of infection control needs improving. This way, you can be assured you’re breaking the chain of infection, and your practice remains compliant at all times.

The problem with surfaces

Key infection control measures in practice include hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the cleaning and disinfection of clinical and non-clinical surfaces.

Contamination can easily occur on work surfaces where pathogens can be transmitted to other objects and personnel. Cold and flu germs can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, while other pathogens including E. Coli, norovirus and MSRA can survive for several months on inanimate surfaces. This underlines the importance of continually disinfecting and cleaning surfaces that are frequently touched.

Clean and disinfect in one step

Removing harmful pathogens from surfaces requires cleaning and disinfection. Cleaning is the removal of visible soil (e.g. organic and inorganic material), while disinfection refers to the inactivation of pathogens.

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