title: Strategic planning for infection control.
abstract: Proper infection control procedures help to protect dental practitioners, patients, and the surrounding community. The two basic goals of dental asepsis are simple and straightforward: minimize the spread of potentially pathogenic microorganisms and neutralize organisms that have contaminated dental instruments, equipment, and other office environmental surfaces. Meeting these goals, however, can be complicated. A valuable tool would be the generation and maintenance of a written set of infection control procedures ("an office infection control manual"). One way to organize a procedures manual is to arrange required tasks in response to specific pathways of cross-infection. Also, the effectiveness of an infection control program can be positively affected by office design.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Palenik
mesh_terms: D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D003748:Dental Equipment / Q000382:microbiology; D003770:Dental Offices; D018057:Dental Waste; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D019552:Infection Control, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D010934:Planning Techniques; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration; D016635:Universal Precautions
chemical_list: D018057:Dental Waste