Dr. Nancy Dewhirst - California Infection Control - Are We Safe Enough?-Infection Control: Are We Safe Enough? For Dentists and Staff

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, presented for the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, was the second of California’s required courses and focused on infection control in dental practice. The host reviewed CE logistics, upcoming webinars, and introduced speaker Nancy Drewhurst, an expert in dental infection control and OSHA compliance.<br /><br />Nancy aimed to make the required course practical and useful, covering minimum infection control regulations, safety standards, core principles, guidelines, and updates on respiratory protection. She emphasized that infection control is a team effort and that patients are also observing office safety measures, so practices should intentionally communicate safety and cleanliness.<br /><br />The lecture framed infection control through several perspectives: evolving safety standards over time, how diseases transmit through the chain of infection, and how to build layered protection. Topics included screening out infectious patients, especially those with airborne diseases; the need for standard precautions; vaccine considerations; engineering controls like improved HVAC, HEPA filtration, suction, and UV; and administrative controls such as written programs, leadership, training, and checklists.<br /><br />She also covered detailed practical guidance on hand hygiene, PPE, masks and respirators, eye protection, lab safety, sharps handling, cleaning and disinfecting, instrument processing, and dental waterline management. Special attention was given to California-specific rules, including aerosol transmissible disease screening and requirements around respiratory protection and water quality.<br /><br />The session concluded with live Q&A on aerosol-reduction devices, HVAC/MERV ratings, and KN95 use between patients, followed by closing remarks and CE reminders.

Keywords

infection control

dental practice

OSHA compliance

California Society of Pediatric Dentistry

respiratory protection

standard precautions

hand hygiene

personal protective equipment

aerosol transmissible disease

HVAC filtration

HEPA filtration

dental waterlines

instrument processing

sharps handling

cleaning and disinfection