Personal Protection and Safety
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May 17, 2023
In the dental industry, ensuring the safety of dental professionals and patients is of paramount importance. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a vital role in safeguarding against potential hazards, including infectious diseases, chemical exposure, and physical injuries. Donning and doffing protocols are crucial procedures that dental professionals must adhere to in order to properly wear and remove PPE. This article will explore the various types of PPE used in the dental industry and the correct practices for donning and doffing.
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May 11, 2023
PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. It refers to any equipment or clothing specifically designed to be worn or used by individuals to protect themselves from potential hazards, risks, or injuries in the workplace or other environments.
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April 17, 2023
It is no secret that dental clinicians work hours upon hours under the armor of personal protective equipment. For educational facilities and some dental offices, the pandemic PPE layers were not new protocols. For others, it was a novel approach to the safe practice of dentistry.
Are all these layers still required post-pandemic? Why had educational facilities and some offices already expanded their PPE wardrobe before the pandemic?
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March 05, 2023A dental office reprocessing area must be organized in a one-way workflow to prevent cross-contamination. The one-way workflow is composed of stations that are linked in functionality to one another to finally achieve the end point of reprocessing; sterilization. Each station can only perform the duties of THAT station and can only host the contents of THAT station’s tasks. In ‘common practice’ vs ‘best practice’ reprocessing rooms ...
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February 14, 2023
Gloves are the most important part of any medical facility.
Why do dentists choose nitrile gloves? — Disposable nitrile gloves are part of the dental staff’s personal protection equipment (PPE) used when completing exams and procedures. They provide a barrier of protection to the skin, resistance from tears, and durability. Nitrile gloves are produced from hypoallergenic synthetic materials, making them a safe alternative for those with latex allergies.
Latex Gloves vs. Nitrile Gloves
In the past, disposable latex gloves were the standard gloves used in hospitals and dental offices in Canada. That changed several years ago as latex allergies became more common, and nitrile gloves became the alternative.
Latex gloves are
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December 29, 2022
This blog may have been posted after our holiday season celebrations with office parties and family gatherings.
As we return to our routine office schedules, we must maintain our respiratory health program with the most current and appropriate CDC infection prevention recommendations for the 2022-2023 flu season.
Influenza viruses are constantly changing, and even new viruses can appear each year and a gift none of us wants to receive.
Although the fall and winter is typically the most popular season for the flu to rear its ugly head, the season of flu can vary from different parts of the country and from season to season.
Annual flu is “a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death”.1 (CDC influenza). Flu symptoms include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or
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December 08, 2022Antibiotic resistance is a global issue that requires the attention of all countries, governments, and health agencies.
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May 20, 2022
Knowing more information about choosing the right protective gown hopefully solves any dilemma about selection and usage. The required dental PPE lineup is full and highly influenced by the task. Remember to ‘pick the mask for the task’ and ‘go to town with the right gown!'
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March 29, 2022For dental offices that want to be water conscious, it can be hard to find the balance between following IPAC best practices and using less water. There are several things that dental offices can do to be more water conscious. Water conservation isn’t about being stingy or sacrificing patient safety. Water sustainability in dentistry is about finding an efficient way to use and reuse a limited and valuable resource and everyone can do their part.
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July 28, 2021
Disposable gloves are beneficial when it comes to ensuring protection against microbes and hazardous substances. Using disposable gloves has become crucial for people who work in industries like dentistry, personal services, healthcare and front-line service workers. With a few options to choose from, the material of the gloves you should use can be unclear. In this blog post we’ll take a closer look at the differences between nitrile, latex and vinyl gloves.
