Are you interested in learning what a dental assistant does? Part of what you learn during your training in a Dental Assistant program is keeping patients safe from pathogens. The job includes sterilization, sanitation, and disinfection. Each type of cleaning has its use case, and learning proper cleaning techniques keeps patients safe.

What is Infection Control?

Dental assistants safeguard patient health by ensuring the office environment is clean. Instruments and dental equipment harbor dangerous pathogens if improperly sanitized; even a waiting area can spread common infections.

Dentist’s offices can harbor dangerous pathogens. Dental assistants implement infection control measures to keep patients safe from unseen microbes. This includes sanitizing treatment rooms between visits and sterilizing instruments to ensure a hygienic environment.

The term “infection control” refers to procedures that minimize the risk of infections in healthcare settings. Only three things are required for infections to occur:

A Source

A reservoir for germs exists wherever conditions are favorable for their growth. Examples in a dental office include dental instruments, human mouths, and skin.

A Host

A host is a person vulnerable to infection. In a dental office, that includes patients and staff.

A Mode of Transmission

For germs to cause infections, they must move from the reservoir to the host. Pathogens in a dental office can travel by instruments, skin, and body fluids, including saliva and respiratory droplets.

Universal infection control protocols prevent the spread of disease by creating barriers between sources and hosts and eliminating transmission modes.

Standard practices in a dental office include:

Washing Hands

Handwashing for 20 seconds with soap and water removes most bacteria from the skin. Dental assistants should wash their hands before wearing gloves and after removing them to keep pathogens off their hands.

Cough & Sneezing Etiquette

Proper etiquette limits the spread of germs through respiratory secretions. All dental staff should cover their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, disposing of it immediately. Afterward, handwashing prevents the spread of bacteria that may have contaminated skin.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) creates a physical barrier between patients and staff, decreasing the transmission of pathogens. A dental assistant should wear PPE such as masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields to protect themselves against contaminated body fluids. PPE must be changed between each patient and before leaving the room to prevent cross-contamination of other surfaces.

Environmental Sanitation

Regular use of chemical cleansers to sanitize surfaces, equipment, tools, and instruments limits the growth of bacteria. Non-disposable instruments must be sterilized.

Health Screenings

If a patient with influenza sits with others in a waiting area, that individual will likely infect another patient. Preventing sick staff or patients from coming to the office eliminates potential infection.

Immunizations

Dental assistants have a professional responsibility to protect patients from contagious diseases. Vaccinations can protect patients and staff from infection.

Control Infections

Infectious diseases can spread between patients if treatment areas and instruments aren’t properly sanitized. A dental assistant’s most essential role is to disinfect shared surfaces and equipment between appointments.

Tray-Setups

Dental trays hold the instruments dentists need to perform dental procedures. Instruments are arranged by order of use and how they’re transferred from the dental assistant to the dentist.

Dental assistants are responsible for knowing what each instrument does and which ones are required for the procedure.

How Dental Assistants Implement Infection Control

Infection control procedures help prevent the spread of germs, creating a safer environment for patients and staff. Dental assistants keep patients safe by:

Sanitizing Work Areas

Dental assistants sanitize work surfaces, dental chairs, door handles, and other touch points between patient visits.

Disinfecting Equipment 

Equipment, such as sinks and waterlines, can harbor an infectious pathogen. Regular disinfection is essential to safeguard patients from bacteria and viruses.

Sterilizing Instruments

The dental instruments used during oral care treatments must be sterilized to eliminate infectious microbes. Dental assistants use autoclaves and chemical solutions to kill bacteria on surgical tools and other non-disposable dental supplies.

Managing Waste

Proper disposal of biomedical and hazardous waste, per OSHA guidelines, is essential for infection control. Dental assistants ensure that sharps, needles, and other potentially infectious waste are disposed of in designated containers.

Autoclaves

Autoclaves are sterilizers that combine pressure and steam to kill dangerous microbes and their spores. Dental assistants use autoclaves to sterilize instruments and heat-resistant supplies.

How Does a Dental Assistant Prepare Tools for the Dentist?

Dental assistants select and arrange tools on instrument trays. They are responsible for passing instruments during procedures. A dental assistant works chairside but has responsibilities outside the exam room. This includes cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing:

Sanitation

Sanitation is a term describing cleaning practices in health settings because there are more germs where people gather. In dental practices, chemical solutions can reduce the number of pathogens on hard surfaces, stopping the spread of diseases.

Dental assistants regularly sanitize sinks, floors, furniture, door handles, and countertops. More robust measures are required in work areas where pathogens are more prevalent.

Disinfection

Disinfection is a stronger type of pathogen eradication. The chemicals are significantly more potent than the average cleaner, containing ingredients like chlorine that inactivate microorganisms on surfaces. Dental assistants use disinfectants to clean dental work areas and equipment surfaces. Common touch points are treated between each visit.

Sterilization

Sterilization is a more intense disinfection process that kills most pathogens and their spores. Wrapped in a hard, waxy coating, spores are difficult to kill. It takes a cold sterilization solution or an autoclave to eliminate all spores. Any tool that goes into a patient’s mouth must be sterile.

Autoclaving is preferred for dental instruments, but plastic tools are not heat-resistant. And because an autoclave takes several hours per batch of instruments, it’s performed daily or weekly. Instruments must be scrubbed free of debris, soaked in a concentrated solution, or wrapped for pressure treatment. And because autoclaves can fail, quality control measures are critical. Packs are sealed with reactive tape that changes color when the proper level of heat and pressure is applied.

Many practices also move to disposable products when they’re safer or more cost-effective. Examples include syringe tips, polishing cups, and surgical drapes.

Why is it Important to Keep Dental Tools Clean, Disinfected, and Sterilized?

Because of heavy traffic, dental offices may harbor more treatment-resistant pathogens than other public places, so sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization are critical to keeping patients safe.

Germs are a part of life with millions of species; they exist naturally in the air, water, and soil. Hundreds of beneficial bacteria live in the body, aiding metabolism and digestion. Only a small number of microorganisms are known to be pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, or fungi that cause disease.

However, dental offices treat high volumes of patients and harbor a more significant number of potentially harmful germs, including those resistant to treatment. Healthcare-associated infections are one of the leading causes of illness in the United States, making pathogen control necessary for the safe treatment of patients and the protection of staff.

Client Screening

A dental assistant must protect high-risk patients, but knowing which are vulnerable and need additional precautions requires understanding their medical history. High-risk clients include:

• Smokers
• Diabetics
• Pregnant women
• Those with artificial heart valves or joint prosthetics
• People with allergies to antibiotics and dental anesthetics
• Chemotherapy patients

Before an exam, a dental assistant has a patient complete or update medical history forms. They clarify responses and identify concerns for the dentist to review. Those at high risk for infection may require antibiotics before treatment or special precautions to limit their exposure to bacteria.

How Do Dental Assistants Protect Themselves?

Humans are reservoirs for infection, but PPE serves as a roadblock. Gloves, masks, and face shields prevent contaminated fluids from contacting a dentist assistant’s skin. PPE must be worn, removed, and disposed of carefully between patients to avoid contact with contaminants. When worn consistently, it’s one more pathogen barrier a dental assistant has between themselves and germs, pathogens, and viruses.

Dental Assistant Program

The Dental Assistant training program at Meridian College provides extensive hands-on training, including a school externship at a dental office where you will assist the dentist in treating actual patients. We also have dedicated school instructors who offer you training in dental assisting that you can use to get an entry-level position at a dentist’s office or dental clinic. You get to work in real-world situations and use your training from classroom lectures to further your skills during lab work in dental assisting.

Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a dental assistant.