Hand hygiene and PPE: Dental assisting

Hand hygiene and personal protective equipment or PPE are the front line of infection prevention in the dental office. Every time you set up a tray or assist with a procedure, you're interacting with surfaces and materials that can carry microorganisms.

You can think of infection control as a routine practice that protects you, your patients, and everyone who moves through the dental environment.

As a dental assistant, consistent hand hygiene and proper PPE use help ensure dental care is delivered safely and confidently.

Now, hand hygiene is an infection control measure that involves hand washing with soap and water or the application of an alcohol-based hand rub to reduce nosocomial infections, otherwise known as healthcare associated infections or HAIs.

These measures are both effective ways to reduce hand contamination during routine patient care, but sometimes one is preferred over the other.

For example, if your hands are visibly dirty or contaminated with blood or other body fluids, you must wash them with soap and water.

For routine clinical care, alcohol-based hand rubs are fast and effective. Also keep in mind that timing is just as important as technique.

So think of hand hygiene as the first and last step in every clinical interaction. For instance, perform hand hygiene before and after caring for each patient, after touching contaminated surfaces, before eating, and after using the restroom.

Sometimes you'll use gloves to create a physical barrier between you, your patient, and potentially contaminated surfaces, but remember that gloves don't replace hand hygiene, so you'll perform hand hygiene before putting on gloves and immediately after removing the gloves.

Now let's shift gears and talk about personal protective equipment or PPE. PPE is designed to protect your skin, eyes, and mucous membranes from exposure to potentially infectious organisms.

Instead of thinking about PPE as separate items, think of it as a system that shields you from splash, spatter, and aerosols that can occur during dental procedures.

Masks, eyewear, gloves, and protective clothing work together to create a barrier between you and the clinical environment.

When used correctly, PPE reduces the risk of exposure and helps maintain a safe workspace for both you and your patients.

OK, let's take a closer look at the main types of PPE and how they're used in the dental office. There are abundant sources of contamination in the dental office, often stemming from bacteria and other organisms that reside in the oral cavity.

Masks protect your nose and mouth from inhaling droplets, which are tiny liquid-filled particles that are released when someone coughs or sneezes, and aerosols, which are even smaller particles.

Protective eyewear or face shields guard your eyes during procedures when spray and splatter are expected, which happens often in routine dental procedures.

Gloves provide a barrier that protects both you and your patient, and protective clothing such as gowns keep your clothing and skin from becoming contaminated.

The type of PPE you choose depends on the procedure. Low risk tasks such as charting during an oral exam may require only basic protection, while procedures that generate aerosols, like when a high speed handpiece or ultrasonic scalar are used, require more comprehensive PPE.

Your goal is to match the level of protection to the level of risk. Now, let's talk about donning and doffing PPE.

Donning means putting on your PPE before you begin a procedure, and doffing means taking it off when you're finished. These steps are more than just routine.

Small mistakes during donning and doffing can increase the risk of contamination, so understanding the correct order really matters.

A helpful way to remember the sequence is to put PPE on in the reverse order of what is changed most often when you're working with patients.

So since gloves are changed almost constantly, they go on last. Masks and eyewear come before gloves, and protective clothing goes on first.

When removing PPE, avoid touching the most contaminated surfaces and remove items in a way that prevents contact with your skin, clothing, and mucous membranes.

Common errors include touching the front of a mask, pulling masks down under the nose, failing to change gloves between tasks.

Or removing PPE in the wrong order. Another frequent issue is touching contaminated surfaces with gloved hands and then moving on to clean areas.

These habits can spread microorganisms quickly. Being mindful of common errors protects both you and your patients.

As a dental assistant, it's your responsibility to maintain consistent infection control practices. You'll help ensure supplies are stocked, PPE is available, and infection control procedures are followed.

You'll also model proper techniques for the rest of the team and help maintain a safe, organized clinical environment. Your attention to detail will support patient safety and maintain a safe clinical environment for everyone.

All right, as a quick recap, hand hygiene and PPE are essential for preventing disease transmission in the dental office.

As a dental assistant, your knowledge of how to correctly use PPE protects you, your patients, and everyone who moves through the dental environment.