BITES&BRIEFS
Infection Control Standards for Handpieces
R
ecently, an MDA member contact the office to in- quire if the “MDA has specific protocol for infection control/sterilization for slow speed handpieces.” The answer is no, the MDA does not have a protocol for sterilization of instruments. But Missouri Statute does, citing the CDC. FIRST ► It’s important to know Missouri Statute 191.694. Infection control procedures—require- ments and training for health care facilities and profession- als, which states (and governs your dental practice): All health care professionals and health care facilities shall ad- here to universal precautions, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control of the United States Public Health Service, including the appropriate use of hand washing, protective barriers, and care in the use and disposal of needles and other sharp instruments, to minimize the risk of transmission of HIV, HBV and other blood-borne infections to patients. Health care professionals and health care facilities shall comply with current guidelines, established by the CDC, for disinfection and sterilization of reusable devices used in invasive procedures. SECOND ► It’s important to know the CDC recently published the Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care to make it easier to know and implement standard infection control practices. It summarizes cur- rent infection prevention recommendations and includes a checklist that can be used to evaluate compliance. It is available for download at
cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/pdf/safe-care.pdf. The information is based primarily upon the previously published 2003 guideline and represents infection prevention expectations for safe care in dental settings. An additional resource that discusses this summary and outlines some practical applications is an article from
RDHmag.com titled, “Something did change: New CDC documents streamline dental infection control” and is available at
rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-36/issue-6/contents/something-did-change.html.
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Board Election Results
Delta Dental of Missouri did not re- ceive any nominations for directors by written petition for its 2017 election of directors. Therefore, its Board of Direc- tors’ recommended slate of director nominees ran uncontested. The fol- lowing incumbent director candidates were re-elected for three-year terms, effective November 3, 2017, and in- cluded: William J. Bender, Chesterfield; Rosemary A. Bishop, Clayton; Mark S. Mancin, DDS, Kansas City; James W. Rhea, DDS, Warson Woods; and, Timothy S. Taylor, DDS, Trimble. The complete results notice may be found at
deltadentalmo.com/providers.
ACA Open Enrollment Period Has Begun
The individual health insurance op- tions for 2018 are narrowing. The majority of Missouri counties will have ONE carrier offering coverage. Open enrollment on the individual market runs from November 1–December 15. Open enrollment for Medicare senior products runs from October 15–December 7. Call Christy at MDIS at 800-944-7550 to find a solution for your health insurance needs.
12 focus | NOV/DEC 2017 | ISSUE 6
Infection Prevention Practices in
Summary of Dental Settings
Basic Expectations for Safe Care
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