Recent Blog Posts

• Wait… Extracted Teeth Aren’t Biohazard Waste?! So What Actually Is Biomedical Waste in a Dental Office?

  Posted: February 12, 2026

  Categories: IPAC Compliance , Infection Control , Professional
  

  If you've ever paused mid-procedure and thought:

  "This is literally a human body part... how is this NOT biohazard waste?" You're not alone. One of the most misunderstood areas in dental Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) is biomedical waste classification, especially when it comes to extracted teeth. Let's clear it up.

  First: What Is Biomedical Waste?

  According to the Centre for Disease Control and dental regulatory bodies, biomedical waste is classified as hazardous waste and must:

  • Be stored in colour-coded containers with the universal biohazard symbol
  • Be released to an approved biomedical waste carrier

  However, that does NOT include all waste.

  Biomedical waste falls into two categories:

  1. Anatomical Waste (Human Tissue)

  This

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• Where Should the Handpiece Docking Station Live: Cleaning or Packaging?

  Posted: January 15, 2026

  Categories: IPAC Compliance , Infection Control , Professional
  

  Where Should the Handpiece Docking Station Live: Cleaning or Packaging?

  Short answer... the handpiece docking station (lubrication and flushing unit) belongs on the cleaning side (non-sterile / decontamination side), not the packaging side.

  Long answer... see below... because this is where audits often get murky.

  Framing the Discussion

  Before discussing where a handpiece docking station should be located, it is worth pausing to ask a more specific question:

  What actually comes after handpiece cleaning and lubrication?

  It is easy to assume the answer is packaging.
  But that assumption skips a critical step.

  Cleaning and lubrication do not mean a handpiece is ready to be packaged.

  There is a required pause in the workflow: inspection.

  Inspection is the moment where the handpiece is deliberately assessed to confirm that internal

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• The Partition Problem: Where Separation Really Belongs in Dental Reprocessing

  Posted: January 15, 2026

  Categories: IPAC Compliance , Infection Control , Professional
  

  Instrument reprocessing in the dental office does not need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, the simplest workflows are often the safest, especially in today's dental landscape where reprocessing tasks may be performed by individuals without formal dental or infection prevention training.

  At the centre of effective reprocessing is a clear, one-way workflow... moving instruments from non-sterile to sterile without confusion, crossover, or unnecessary handling.

  

  Why Language Matters in the Reprocessing Area

  During audits, reprocessing spaces are often described using terms such as:

  • Decontamination area
  • Clean area
  • Sterile area

  While

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• Burs and Sterilization: Why “Old Habits” No Longer Meet Today’s Standards

  Posted: December 23, 2025

  Categories: IPAC Compliance , Infection Control , Professional
  

  If you look closely at the Manufacturer's Instructions for Use (MIFU) that come with burs, the guidance is consistent: burs must be sterilized prior to use, unless you've purchased a brand that is individually packaged and pre-sterilized. Despite this, outdated habits still linger in many practices, habits that no longer align with today's infection prevention and control (IPAC) standards.

  Proper Steps for Bur Reprocessing

  To meet best practice and compliance requirements, burs should follow this reprocessing pathway:

  1. Unpack the burs upon arrival.
  2. Remove the protective plastic caps (these are for shipping protection only, not sterile barriers).
  3. Clean the burs according to your office's validated cleaning protocol (ultrasonic or washer-disinfector).
  4. Dry thoroughly.
  5. Package

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