Infection Control and Prevention in Dentistry

Abstract

In a dental set-up, the pateint's saliva mixed with blood, pus, plaque and crevicular fluid is often aerosolized and spattered, thus exposing the dental professional to potential infectious agents. This is because micro-organisms are always mixed with these body materials and they cause infectious and transmissible disease, most common of which are common cold, herpes, hepatitis and AIDS. It therefore becomes mandatory for the dental professional to follow the universal precautions and treat every patient as being potentially infectious.