Environmental disinfection is a vital step toward preventing the spread of COVID-19
Dental professionals are hyper-aware of proper hand hygiene and PPE, but we should be careful not to overlook environmental disinfection processes. Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH, reviews important environmental disinfection guidelines.
Dental professionals should be well versed in the importance of protecting patients, staff, and anyone else who enters the practice from infection. The pandemic has brought the importance of practicing good hand hygiene and the use of proper personal protective equipment into sharp focus, but it is also essential to scrutinize every aspect of the clinic. There is no better time to confirm that everyone is adhering to standard precautions, and that includes proper environmental infection control.
I know I am preaching to the choir when I mention the necessity of disinfecting all surfaces, paying particular attention to those of clinical importance. However, many may not realize that using a product incorrectly or lacking adequate time to thoroughly clean between patients could put a practice’s standards at risk. Preventing the spread of pathogens through environmental infection control is a crucial part of any dental practice.
Preventing health-care-associated infections (HAIs) is the name of the game in any medical environment. Here are some ways to ensure that everyone is providing safe dental visits and performing proper environmental infection control.