ODHA - Ohio Dental Hygienists' Association, Inc.

New CDC Recommendations

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued revised infection control recommendations that promise to have a significant impact on dental settings.

"Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings, 2003" updates and revises previous guidelines and consolidates relevant public-health and allied healthcare association guidelines for hand hygiene, healthcare personnel, Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission and environmental infection control. In addition to CDC documents, the new guideline cites major infection control organizations and federal regulations from OSHA, FDA and EPA.

The new guidelines contain a review of the scientific literature on dental infection control and evidence-based recommendations for dental healthcare settings. It updates the agency's 1993 infection control recommendations for dentistry, provides informative tables, charts and infection control resource information and addresses new topics such as:

dental unit water quality;
latex sensitivity;
selection and use of dental devices with features designed to prevent needlesticks and other sharps injuries;
hand hygiene procedures and product categories, including alcohol rubs;
new technologies, such as dental lasers and digital radiology;
management of personnel health and safety programs in dental practices;
infection control program evaluation; and
recommendations for future research topics in dental infection control.

The document is published in the December 19, 2003 (Vol. 52 / No. RR--17) issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and is posted on the CDC website. A pdf file of the document is available at this web site.

In cooperation with the CDC, the Organization for Safety & Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) is producing a workbook that helps interpret this new public-health policy for everyday dental practice. The workbook will be available in January. For additional information, please contact OSAP at www.osap.org or 1-800-298-6727.

Consumer Information

Safeguarding Health
Registered dental hygienists help safeguard the health of patients. Patients should know who is working in their mouths. On-the-job training of oral health care workers is a health hazard because it allows individuals with no formal education or clinical dental hygiene preparation to treat unsuspecting patients.
Oral Health/Total Health
Oral Health is a critical part of total health. Research has linked periodontal disease to serious general diseases and conditions such as heart disease; premature, under-weight babies; diabetes; and respiratory ailments.
Preventing Periodontal Disease
There is no medical value to cleaning only above the gum line (supragingival scaling) because gum disease starts below the gum line. Registered dental hygienists are the health care workers best qualified to prevent gum disease.
Disease Detection
Regular oral health exams can help detect serious diseases and problems such as oral cancers, eating disorders, diabetes, and HIV, because many diseases manifest signs and symptoms in the mouth first.
Prevention Savings
Preventing cavities and periodontal diseases--services provided by dental hygienists--are some of the least costly health services available.
Community Outreach and National Dental Hygiene Month
Registered dental hygienists are committed to providing care and increasing awareness of the importance of preventive oral health care. They sponsor oral health events during National Dental Hygiene Month in October. The monthly observance is now in its eighth year. This year's theme is Want Some Life-Saving Advice? Ask Your Dental Hygienist, which is focused on how regular dental hygiene exams can help detect serious problems.

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