Infection Control & Safety in the Dental Setting

Name: Infection Control & Safety in the Dental Setting
Start: 2025-12-06T08:30:00-05:00
End: 2025-12-06T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Holiday Inn Morgantown - University Area

Schedule

Sat Dec 06 2025 at 08:30 am to 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Holiday Inn Morgantown - University Area | Morgantown, WV

Infection Control Updates & OSHA Annual Compliance Training for the Entire Dental Team (4 hrs)
All clinical personnel in the dental setting are at risk for exposure to disease agents and other environmental hazards. With attention to infection control CDC Guidelines, risks to yourself, your patients, and other dental team members can be minimized. In this update, the scientific background behind infection control and safety regulations will be emphasized. Participants will be able to recognize strategies to break the chain of infection and prevent exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other infectious materials in the dental setting.
Antibiotic Stewardship in Dentistry: A Team Approach (2 hrs)
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat, with “superbug” infections occurring in 2.8 million people in the US each year. Antibiotic misuse and overuse are the primary reasons for the development of antibiotic resistance and Clostridioides difficile infection (C. Diff). When prescribing antibiotics the risks and benefits must always be considered
Antibiotic stewardship is the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Appropriate antibiotic prescribing means prescribing antibiotics only when indicated. Stewardship efforts include the right antibiotic, the right dose, and the right duration.
In this program, the guidelines for use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and treatment in dentistry will be reviewed, challenges to responsible prescribing will be discussed. Attendees will be provided with numerous clinical tips, tools and resources for all dental team members to promote antibiotic stewardship in their own practice.
Dental Unit Waterlines: It’s time to Clear the Confusion! (2 hrs)
Water is a vital component of modern dentistry and water supplied from the dental unit is used for most every routine dental procedure. Dental personnel are required to deliver water that meets drinking water standards but are often confused about why and how to deliver safe water. This webinar will discuss the importance of using clean and safe water, and guidelines and regulations for water quality. Dental team members will learn how to ensure compliance for the continuous delivery of safe water during dental care through routine maintenance, shocking and testing their waterlines.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course the participants should be able to:
• Understand the differences between CDC guidelines and OSHA Standards
• Describe the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and other required OSHA documents
• Discuss the importance of a written office-specific infection control program and OSHA regulatory documents
• Discuss the importance of handpiece sterilization
• Understand PPE requirements for safe clinical care and for other tasks within the dental setting
• Describe how antibiotic resistance occurs and some of the most important antibiotic resistance issues
• Understand the impact that unnecessary antibiotic exposure has on patient harm including antibiotic resistance and Clostridiodes difficile infection
• Review guidelines for management of odontogenic infections and guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis
• Identify key antibiotic stewardship issues in dentistry and provide approaches and tools that may be implemented by all dental staff
• Describe how and why biofilms form in dental equipment
• Make evidence-based choices in the selection of waterline treatment products
• Identify guidelines, regulations, and best practices that impact dental unit water quality and compliance
• Discuss rationale and indications for testing dental unit waterlines