Infection and exposure control in North American dental schools

Abstract

The results of a survey sent to all U.S. and Canadian dental schools clearly indicate that several substantial changes have occurred in infection control and exposure control in the past fifteen to twenty years. Predominant among these are that the responsibility for instrument preparation and sterilization in most schools has passed from the student to trained staff, the routine practice of universal precautions has eliminated the need to treat patients known to carry bloodborne diseases in a special area, and pre-admission and enrollment vaccination and health screening requirements have changed significantly. Other important changes result from the fact that the majority of U.S. schools responding to the survey are now, to a great extent, in compliance with the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard or equivalent requirements.