Module 2: Applying CDC Infection Prevention Guidelines in Dental Practices

Infection prevention is essential to protecting patients, DHCP, and the overall success of a dental practice. Every member of the dental team plays a role in reducing the risk of disease transmission by consistently applying evidence-based infection prevention practices throughout the patient experience. From establishing office policies and training staff to safely processing instruments and maintaining the clinical environment, effective infection prevention requires both knowledge and ongoing commitment. 

In this course, you'll explore the fundamental principles of infection prevention in dental settings and learn how they are applied throughout daily practice. You'll examine Standard Precautions, safe patient care practices, instrument processing, environmental infection prevention, dental unit water quality, and strategies for evaluating and improving your practice's infection prevention program. Along the way, you'll also learn how administrative policies, education, and continuous monitoring help support a culture of safety and compliance. 

Whether you're a dentist, dental hygienist, dental assistant, office manager, or other dental professional, this course will provide a practical foundation for implementing infection prevention practices that help protect your team, your patients, and your practice. 

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Explain the role of infection prevention in protecting patients, DHCP, and the dental practice. 
  
• Describe the administrative components of an effective infection prevention program, including policies, training, occupational health, and program evaluation. 
• Apply Standard Precautions and determine when additional infection prevention measures are appropriate during patient care. 
• Implement evidence-based practices for hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, and safe injection practices. 
• Differentiate between categories of patient-care items and apply appropriate cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and monitoring procedures. 
• Identify best practices for environmental infection prevention, surface disinfection, and maintaining safe dental unit water quality. 
• Evaluate infection prevention practices within a dental setting and identify opportunities to strengthen compliance and support continuous improvement.