Infection Control

What is infection control?

It is no secret to anyone that many and many viruses may be transmitted in dental clinics, such as hepatitis and C viruses [B or C], acquired immunodeficiency viruses, and various respiratory viruses.

The infection may be transmitted from one patient to another patient, from one patient to a member of the medical staff, or from the medical staff [doctor or nurse] to the patient, so we need to sterilize the dental clinic.

The process of infection control means protecting everyone, the doctor, the patient, and everyone involved, as the control of infection prevents the spread of infection between everyone and limits the transmission of diseases.

Infection control is not limited to the sterilization of tools used in the dental clinic, but also requires the application of a strict and decisive protocol regarding the work environment within the clinic and for all aspects of the patient’s journey inside the clinic from reception to completion of treatment and departure.

Infection control and medical sterilization protocol

At Wonders Dentistry Center, we rely on the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as implement the protocol recommended by the World Health Organization WHO.

We divide the infection control protocol into four important parts:

First:

Taking the patient’s medical history and ensuring the general health of the patient. If the examination or the medical history reveals the presence of infectious diseases or diseases transmitted through blood or through direct touching of soft tissues or oral fluids and saliva, we double the sterilization procedures with him and make sure to give the patient morning appointments At non-crowded times to avoid mixing

Second:

Sterilizing the tools using the sterilization device [class B] and making sure that the tools are clean and sterilized from any residues or tissues. We will explain in detail the sterilization process in another section of the article.

Third:

Ensure that medical staff, including the dentist, nurse, and receptionist, wear personal protective equipment at all times, such as surgical pant, medical gloves, and medical masks. The use is for one patient only, and then it is disposed of.

In the case of a surgical procedure that requires direct contact with oral tissues or blood [such as dental implants], the patient also wears a surgical sleeve or a sterile plastic apron and a head protector to ensure that bacteria or microbes from the patient’s clothes do not enter the mouth.

Fourth:

Isolate the surfaces where adhesive tapes are attached to the surfaces adjacent to the use of the dentist, such as the dental chair, door handles, water taps, and cup holders. These insulators must be changed after each patient.

After the patient’s visit and before entering a new patient, all the insulating adhesive tapes are removed and all surfaces are disinfected with chlorine and disinfectants, and blood spills are disposed of using concentrated chlorine.

As for the surfaces that are far from the doctor’s work, such as reception floors, waiting chairs, etc., they are washed and polished periodically every hour.

Correct sterilization method in the dental clinic

First, we clean all tools from the remnants of different materials and tissues using an ultrasonic cleaner, and we do not clean manually because this does not guarantee complete cleaning, especially for drilling tools, neural channel files, and nerve filling tools.

Secondly, the nurse responsible for sterilization checks all the tools and ensures that they are completely clean and free of any sediments. use it again.

Third: The responsible nurse packs the tools, writes the date, and puts the packets into the autoclave sterilizer.

Fourth: All the autoclaves in the clinic are [class B] devices, which are devices capable of sterilizing fine and fine tubes inside the drilling rigs.

Fifth: After the sterilization and drying process is completed, the nurse checks the [Biological indicator] test strips in each packet and ensures that the sterilization process is complete. [We put a tape on each packet before sterilization, and this tape changes color only in the event that the sterilization process is completed in an optimal manner].

Sixth: If the color of the tape does not change, we put the bag back into the sterilization cycle again.

Seventh: The water used in all sterilization steps is distilled water using a water distiller to ensure that the water is free of any sediments or microbes.

Standards for infection control in the dental clinic

At Wonders Dental, we rely on the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implement the protocol recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO):

1. All preventive measures are taken with all patients without exception, even if they are free of any infectious diseases.
2. Personal protective equipment is worn at all stages of treatment and hands are washed with soap before wearing medical gloves.
3. Personal condoms are changed with each patient and in case of blood spillage, wetness, or saliva contamination.
4. Personal condoms, such as a petticoat or a plastic apron, must be used inside the clinic only, and they must be removed and disposed of before leaving the clinic for any reason.
5. A nurse or doctor responsible for sterilization and infection control is identified and changed weekly.

Personal protective equipment for medical personnel

• Plato or surgical scrub.
• Plastic sender one-time use.
• Medical gloves.
• Medical muzzle.
• Face and eye protector [wash and reapply after each patient].

Devices used to sterilize instruments inside the dental clinic

• Class B heat and pressure autoclave.
• water distiller.
• Ultrasonic cleaner [ultrasonic cleaner].
• wrap device [wrap device].
• Hand grip quick sterilizer.

Safeguards to be observed in the dental clinic to avoid exposure to infection:

• Clean floors and surfaces.
• All employees wear clean and appropriate clothing.
• Medical kits wear personal protective equipment.
• The presence of adhesive insulators on the adjacent surfaces for the use of the dentist.
• Presence of all tools wrapped and ensuring the integrity of the covers well.
• Ensure that a modern Class B sterilizer is available.
• Ensure that there are no visible cuts or visible spots in the dental chair or the devices used.
• Ensure that the tools used are free of any obvious stains or sediments.

Diseases that can be transmitted by infection in the dental clinic and how to prevent them

Many diseases can be transmitted inside the dental clinic, whether the infection is for the patient, medical staff, or even one of the companions. These diseases may be the result of a bacterial infection or a viral infection. For example, we review some of these diseases:

• Hepatitis C virus [virus B or C]:

This virus is transmitted through the blood and only in the case of surgical procedures that require direct contact with the patient’s blood or saliva, such as extractions or deep dental cleaning.

Infection can be prevented by sterilizing tools using a sterilizer, as well as making sure to use adhesive condoms on the surfaces in the vicinity of the dental chair.

• Respiratory diseases such as COVID19:

This virus is transmitted through the air, especially since the dentist is very close to the face and mouth of the patient, and infection can be prevented by using personal condoms, medical masks, and face shields, and also by isolating cases that show respiratory symptoms, whether from patients or medical staff.

• HIV disease:

This disease is considered one of the most dangerous diseases that can be transmitted, but the rate of transmission is rare, as it requires the transmission of a large proportion of blood or contact with the infected blood for a long time.

Research indicates that the transmission rate of this virus from a prick is rare and does not exceed 0.3%.

The infection can be transferred by taking the patient’s medical history carefully and making sure that the infection control protocol is fully and correctly applied.

The importance of division in preventing infection ZONING

When designing the dental clinic, it is taken into account to divide the clinic into separate, connected areas to limit the spread of infection. Our center is distinguished by the presence of a special room for sterilization.

We divided the rest of the clinic into two areas, a clean area that is not highly exposed to infection, which is the reception, waiting, and prayer areas, and another area in which we gathered the different clinics, the diagnostic clinic, and the CT scan room to reduce the risk of infection.

The time of the patient’s presence in the environment close to the infection.