Infection Control In Dentistry Research Articles

Infection Control in Dentistry in the Post-COVID Era: A Timely Update

Infection Control in Dentistry in the Post-COVID Era: A Timely Update

New centre of excellence for leading dental infection control business

New centre of excellence for leading dental infection control business

Pragmatic Return to Effective Dental Infection Control through Triage and Testing (PREDICT): an observational, feasibility study to improve dental office safety

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a substantial interruption of care, with patients and workers fearful to return to the dental office. As dental practice creates a highly aerosolized environment, the potential for spread of airborne illness is magnified. As a means to increase safety and mitigate risk, pre-visit testing for SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to minimize disease transmission in dental offices. The Pragmatic Return to Effective Dental Infection Control through Testing (PREDICT) Feasibility Study examined the logistics and impact of two different testing mechanisms (laboratory-based PCR viral testing and point-of-care antigen testing) in dental offices.MethodsDental healthcare workers (DHCWs) and patients in four dental offices within the National Dental Practice-based Research Network participated in this prospective study. In addition to electronic surveys, participants in two offices completed POC testing, while participants in two offices used lab-based PCR methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection. Analysis was limited to descriptive measures, with median and interquartile ranges reported for Likert scale responses and mean and standard deviation for continuous variables.ResultsOf the total 72 enrolled, 28 DHCWs and 41 patients completed the protocol. Two patients (4.9%) tested positive prior to their visit, while 2 DHCWs (12.5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection at the start of the study. DHCWs and patients shared similar degree of concern (69% and 63%, respectively) for contracting COVID-19 from patients, while patients feared contracting COVID-19 from DHCWs less (49%). Descriptive statistics calculations revealed that saliva, tongue epithelial cells, and nasal swabs were the most desirable specimen collection method; both testing (LAB and POC) protocols took similar amounts of total time to complete; and DHCWs and patients reported feeling more comfortable when both groups were tested.ConclusionsWhile a larger-scale, network study is necessary for generalizability of results, this feasibility study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 testing can be effectively implemented into dental practice workflows and positively impact perception of safety for DHCWs and patients. As new virulent infectious diseases emerge, preparing dental personnel to employ an entire toolbox of risk mitigation strategies, including testing, may have the potential to decrease dental practice closure time, maintaining continuity of dental care services for patients.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05123742.

Standardism Performance of Dental Workers and Infection Control Status of Corrective Patient Instruments

Objective: This study aims to understand the performance of standardism through the performance of orthodontic workers and the infection control of orthodontic patients, and to contribute to the improvement of oral health of orthodontic patients and provide it as academic basic data. Methods: A study was conducted on 111 dental workers working at dental clinics in Gwangju Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi-do from March 1, 2023. The number of students participating in the study was calculated as the G. power 3.1 program, with an effect size of 0.3, a significant level of 0.05, and a power of 0.95. Participants in the survey understood the purpose of the study and agreed to participate in the study, and a self-written survey was conducted. The questionnaire was measured on a Likert 5-point scale, and 5 points were given to "very important" on the Likert 5-point scale and 1 point to "not important" so the higher the score, the higher the degree of practice. Results: Number of sterilizations of braces * In cross-analysis of clinical experience, sterilization was most common once a week, followed by sterilization once every two weeks. It can be said that there is no significant difference in the number of times and clinical experience. Conclusion: Clinical experience and regression analysis of instrument sterilization showed minimal levels of clinical experience, contaminated instrument management, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, respiratory etiquette, and instrument sterilization methods.

Patients’ perception of infection control in dentistry

Background: Dentistry is a high-risk profession for infections due to exposure to contaminated materials like blood, saliva, and instruments. Both dental staff and patients can contract diseases via person-to-person contact or contaminated objects. Objectives: To assess patient perception of infection control practices in dentistry which will help in planning effective public health care delivery. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 170 patients visiting Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital (KMCTH) over the period of three months (2022 June to 2022 August) for any form of dental treatment. Ethical approval was granted by Institutional Review Committee of KMCTH on 8th June 2021. Data obtained were entered and analysed using SPSS v.21. Results: Majority of the participants believed dentists should wear gloves (164, 96.7%), face masks (159, 93.8%), and eye goggles (105, 61.9%) while treating patients, and 152 (89.6%) of participants agreed that dentist should change gloves between patients. However, nearly half of the participants were not hesitant to receive treatment from the dentist not wearing gloves (82, 48.3%) and mask (86, 50.7%). In total, 119 (70.2%) agreed that it was possible to catch an infection during dental treatment and 121 (71.3%) did take interest in sterilisation of instruments but only 21 (12.3%) always asked their dentist about the method of sterilisation. Conclusion: Patients possess a strong awareness of the importance for infection control in dental practice, however, this study underscores the importance of implementing effective infection control measures in dental settings to ensure the safety and well-being of patients.

Your decon questions answered

Jenny Nixon answers some of the most frequently asked questions relating to dental infection control.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Infection Control Measures in Dental Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on every aspect of life, especially for healthcare professionals. Dentists are the most at risk of infection due to close contact with patients. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness, perception, and attitude of Palestinian dentists towards COVID-19 and infection control. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 17-30 July 2020, and 349 dentists from the West Bank participated. The survey assessed demographic variables, participation in infection control training, prevention methods used in dental clinics, patient preparation for dental work, cross-infection control and sterilization before and after the pandemic, and sources for guideline protocols for dental workers. The results of the study showed that 54 (14.4%) dentists had received training in infection control in dentistry and 121 (34.3%) had attended training specifically regarding COVID-19. During a partial lockdown, 60% of dentists treated only urgent cases. Overall, the dentists in the West Bank demonstrated good knowledge and a positive attitude towards COVID-19 and infection control measures in dental clinics, as there were significant differences between replacing a medical apron or mask and wearing a face shield, cover shoes, head cap, and goggles before and after COVID (p < 0.05). Moreover, there were significant differences between wrapping the chair and using purification devices to disinfect the clinic before and after COVID (p < 0.05). However, dentists' knowledge could be improved by increasing their accessibility to materials and provided training. Dental associations should provide guidelines regularly to dentists during a crisis to inform them of best practices and disease management. In conclusion, dentists need to update their knowledge, continuing education and training to guarantee the proper handling of COVID-19. The study's findings show the importance of updating infection control protocols and training programs that address the specific needs and challenges faced by dentists in the West Bank.

ADVANTAGES OF BUSINESS GAME METHOD IN TEACHING DISCIPLINE "INFECTIOUS DISEASES" TO FUTURE DENTAL DOCTORS

Dentistry as a specialty belongs to the professions carrying a high occupational risk of exposure to several pathogens due to the special features of dental treatment. Knowing the clinical course of these diseases can significantly contribute to the diagnostic process and facilitate the timely detection of the disease thus, reducing the risk of transmission in the dental chair. At the present stage, the training of future dentists requires the incorporation of innovative teaching methods aimed at developing students' creative and critical thinking that can be achieved by the business game method. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to improve the professional competencies of dental students by introducing the business game method in the study of the discipline "Infectious Diseases". The article presents modern approaches to teaching the discipline to future dentists in order to build up and strengthen professional competencies and practical skills in working with patients. The use of a business game allows each student to work out an algorithm of actions in accordance with the chosen clinical situation, to identify errors in working with a patient or using dental instruments that is critically important in preventing the spread of hospital-acquired infections and contributes to the formation of professional skills of a future dentist. The introduction of this teaching method is aimed at improving the quality of dental students' knowledge of the clinical picture of infectious diseases; it will help in the formation of medical alertness for the diagnosis of infectious diseases by mucosal lesions, ways to implement the epidemic process in the dental chair, infection control and measures for the specific prevention of infectious diseases. Thus, the active involvement of students in the educational business game makes it possible to improve the professional competencies of future dental doctors that is essential in their professional activity.

Knowledge mapping of COVID-19 and dentistry: A bibliometric analysis.

COVID-19 has a significant impact on dental medicine. The present study aims to overview dental-related research on COVID-19 by visual mapping method. We analyzed the publications in the "Dentistry Oral Surgery Medicine" category in the Web of Science core collection. On June 10, 2022, we conducted an advanced search using the items TS = ("Novel coronavirus 2019" or "COVID 19" or "Coronavirus disease 2019" or "2019-nCOV" or "SARS-CoV-2" or "coronavirus-2") and WC = ("Dentistry Oral Surgery medicine") to screen publications in the dental field that focus on COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2. The contributions of authors, journals, institutions, and countries were described using Microsoft Excel 2010 and VOSviewer. The keywords co-occurring analysis and references analysis were visualized using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. A total of 1,732 papers were identified between 2020 and 2022. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil were three major contributors to this field. Univ São Paulo (Brazil) ranked first with 55 publications in this field. Martelli Junior, Hercilio from Universidade Jose do Rosario Vellano (Brazil) was the most prolific author with 19 publications. Oral Diseases and British Dental Journal were the two most productive journals. The central topics were dental practice and infection control, oral manifestation related to COVID-19, dental education and online learning, teledentistry, and mental health problems. The growth rate of publications regarding dental research on COVID-19 has risen sharply. Research topics shifted from "Dental practice and infection control, oral manifestation related to COVID-19" in 2020 to "Dental education and online learning, teledentistry, mental health problems," which are three important research topics for the future.

Covid-19 상황에서의 일부 치위생(학)과 학생들의 치과감염관리 실천도

Objectives: In the Covid-19 situation, we analyze dental hygiene students' practice of infection control to prepare preventive measures and cope with the spread of infectious diseases in the future. Methods: This study were 241 students from four universities who conducted clinical practice at university hospitals, dental hospitals and clinics in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do from June 20 to August 20, 2022. Results: Most of the dental infection control in practice institutions was managed using alcohol sponges and surface disinfectants, but in dental hospitals, disposable covers were often used. Conclusions: Standardized guidelines and regulations for dental infection control should be prepared by analyzing the causes of poor infection control.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INFECTIOUS CONTROL IN STOMATOLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

The paper highlights the issues of monitoring and assessing the state of infection control conducted over four years of research in order to prevent infections associated with the provision of medical dental care to the population of the republic. The results are presented at baseline and periodically in order to predict and scientifically substantiate preventive measures. The studies were carried out in dental organizations using the "Evaluation sheet of the state of infection control in dentistry" which included 31 criteria for seven functional and organizational blocks by the method of direct observation of existing practices, interviewing medical staff, discussion of causal relationships between processes and phenomena (qualitative assessment) and the method calculating a numerical expression of the percentage between existing and expected compliance with infection control requirements (quantification). As a result of the fourth Monitoring and Evaluation, indicators of compliance with infection control requirements showed a significant increase, both in general - by 37.2% (2.4 times compared to the baseline monitoring and evaluation), and in the functional blocks of the infection control system. The growth rate was 116.5%, the rate of increase was 16.5% (p<0.05). However, the indicators remain low, which requires further improvement of the system of measures for the prevention of infections associated with the provision of dental care to the population.

Dental Infection Control in Hafar AL-Batin Dental Center

A small percentage of germs can lead to an infection. In a dental setting, the patient's saliva mixed with blood, pus, plaque, and reticular fluid is frequently aerosolized and spattered, potentially infecting the dental practitioner. descriptive analytical method utilized 127 employees working in Hafar Al Batin dental center participant most of them 87% were female, 13% were male, and 20% The results showed the attitude toward infection control was high; the most negative attitude item was (Is the doctor obligated to wash hands and wear gloves in the dental clinic?" the most attitude item was (Is the doctor obligated to wash hands and wear gloves in the dental clinic) with high attitude and mean 2.88, followed by (Do you think that sterilizing the dental chair reduces infection) with high attitude and mean 2.74, followed by (Can wearing gloves be a substitute for hand washing) with low attitude and mean 1.47 the results showed there is no significant difference in attitude toward infection control due to gender, age, educational level, or infection as a result of the dental visit. Research and study in the case of transmission and how to reduce it through disinfection and some other methods will reach to reduce the potential risks of infection. The cross-infection control strategy every patient must undergo screening. Dental team members must maintain good health.Think about immunization Prophylaxis before and after exposure. Hepatitis B, influenza, mumps, measles, tetanus, rubella, tuberculosis, and whooping cough vaccinations are required for all members. Hand care and washing: provide personal protection barriers use cautionary aseptic techniques.

Factors affecting infection control measures performed by dental workers

Background/purposeAn understanding of self-protection related factors is important for dental infection control. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with personal self-protection in infection control among dental care workers. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey with self-report questionnaire was conducted between Jan and Dec, 2018.275 dentists and 298 dental assistants were enrolled from randomly selected dental care settings. ResultsCompliance with wearing hair caps, facial masks, and hand washing is not as high as oral masks and gloves (over 90%). For dentists, the level of clinical setting (aOR = 3.1, P < 0.001) and the correct use of disinfectants for impression materials (aOR = 2.0, P < 0.05) were associated with hair cap wearing. Gender (aOR = 0.15, P < 0.05) and correct use of indicator during sterilization (aOR = 2.9, P < 0.05) were associated with facial mask wearing. The correct use of indicator during sterilization (aOR = 2.4, P < 0.05) and disinfection for impression materials (aOR = 2.2, P < 0.05) were associated with hand washing. For dental assistants, longer work experience (aOR = 1.05, P < 0.05), working days (aOR = 1.82, P < 0.05), the correct use of disinfectants for impression materials (aOR = 2.4, P < 0.001), and the frequent use of gloves (aOR = 8.0, P < 0.05) were associated with facial mask wearing. The surface disinfection of working tables (aOR = 2.8, P < 0.001) and the frequent changing of gloves (aOR = 5.96, P < 0.05) were associated with hand washing. ConclusionGender, the length of work practice, and correct techniques for sterilization use were identified as major factors associated with compliance with self-protection in infection control among dental care workers.

Knowledge of Patients Regarding Infection Control in Dentistry: Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire.

Objectives: Assessment of patients' knowledge regarding infection control in dentistry can help professionals in the development of protocol planning to minimize the risk of disease transmission through dental procedures. The aim of this paper is to assess the knowledge level about infection control of patients presenting to the dental clinic of the School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Materials and Methods: The draft of the questionnaire was designed with eight domains regarding infection control in dentistry including the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by six experts and 10 laypersons. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the test-retest method. Two-hundred and forty-four patients (over 20 years of age) were selected based on non-random convenience sampling method, and participated in this study in July 2020. According to the difficulty coefficient, differential coefficient, and the opinion of the experts about the questionnaire filled out by the participants, 24 questions were selected out of 43 for the final version. Results: The intra-rater reliability indices were ≥75% and the scale-content validity indices for relevance, simplicity, and clarity were 87.80%, 93.75% % and 93.33%, respectively. The knowledge score of patients was 76.83%±11.58% which was not correlated with the level of education, age or gender (P>0.05). Conclusion: The knowledge level of patients presenting to the dental clinic of Tehran University of Medical Scineces measured by a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was acceptable about infection control.

A COVID-19 University-Based Dental Clinic Experience and Infection Control Protocol Modification for Safe Clinical Education.

The aim of the study was to share our experience of the development and application of a modified infection control protocol at the Dental Teaching Hospital, Umm Al-Qura University (UQUDENT) during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A second aim was to evaluate the impact of the implemented strategies on preparations for future requirements in clinical dental education. In this descriptive study, we evaluated the challenges facing dental practice and categorized them into four domains: challenges facing dental practice during the pandemic, the risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection, the design of student clinics, and the financial challenges. The impact of strategies established to deal with such challenges was studied by comparing the number of treated patients from September 1, 2020, to March 01, 2021, with the number treated during the same months pre-COVID-19. The COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed students and health care workers (HCWs) were expressed in numbers and percentages in each category of the study group. Policies were set up to deal with the challenges in each domain, after training all the hospital personnel in mitigation of the spread of infection within the hospital. We left a non-working clinic between every two operating clinics, and the patient risk was assessed by triage scoring and health status checks by a Saudi mobile application at the entrance. The hospital delivered more personal protective equipment and obligated all students and HCWs to wear KN95 or N95 masks during procedures. Over 1,500 patients were treated during the study period with more than a 30% reduction in comparison to those in the pre-COVID-19 period, but only 20 UQUDENT personnel had confirmed COVID-19 infection, and all proved to be community-acquired by contact tracing. The measures implemented in this study proved effective. With the challenges and limited resources, UQUDENT managed to resume the operation of its dental clinics and training while preventing cross-infection, and it ensured that dental students graduated with the required competency. Sharing experiences between educational institutes will help to graduate safe competent practitioners.

Monkeypox: what do dental professionals need to know?

Infection control is critical for the safe delivery of dental care. Infection control practices must be responsive to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and outbreaks, as was clearly seen during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. An emerging global outbreak of the monkeypox virus has again raised potential challenges for infection control in dentistry. Monkeypox is an infectious disease, characterised by a rash affecting the skin and soft tissues, including the oral cavity. Previously, cases were mostly seen following contact with infected animals in Central and West Africa, with limited human-to-human transmission within and outside of these areas. However, since May 2022, sustained human-to-human transmission has occurred globally. Monkeypox can be transmitted via close contact with an infected person, contaminated objects and surfaces, or by droplets and possibly aerosols, which is therefore of potential importance to dental settings. This article discusses the relevance of monkeypox to dental professionals, the typical presentation of the disease, its potential impact on infection prevention and control practices and the delivery of dental services. The current monkeypox outbreak highlights the need for a more sustained programme of research into dental infection control that can provide a solid evidence base to underpin preparedness planning for future outbreaks and pandemics.

Learning outcomes of a mobile application for dental infection control education.

This study aimed to apply and verify the effectiveness of a mobile-based dental infection control education application to enable students majoring in dental hygiene to learning dental infection control education without time and space constraints. This study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design to examine differences in learning outcomes between an experimental group that learned through the mobile application and a control group that learned with handouts. The Infection Prevention and Control Mobile Application (IPC App) and handouts were developed by referring to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings. Both the experimental and control groups were guided to perform self-regulated learning, where they independently led and managed their learning for two weeks. The study was conducted at the D university college with 42 students from the second grade in the Department of Dental Hygiene from August to October 2021. Differences in knowledge, self-efficacy, and summative evaluation were analyzed using an independent sample t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance (p<0.05). The findings confirmed that the experimental group who learned through the IPC mobile application had improved their knowledge and indicated a higher summative evaluation than the control group that learned via learning documents (p<0.05). Owing to the high accessibility and repeatability of the learning content, the mobile application recommended in this study may serve as an effective self-directed learning tool for students to gain knowledge on the standard precautions for dental infection control.

The Pragmatic Return to Effective Dental Infection Control Through Triage and Testing (PREDICT) Study: Protocol for a Prospective Clinical Study in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

BackgroundDental practice has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As SARS-CoV-2 infection is transmitted by respiratory fluids, dental practice techniques, which include aerosol-generating procedures, can increase the risk of transmission causing heightened safety concerns for both dental health care workers (DHCWs) and patients. These concerns have resulted in the reduction in patient volume and the available workforce within dental practices across the United States. Standardized methods for COVID-19 triage and testing may lead to increased safety and perceptions of safety for DHCWs and their patients and promote willingness to provide and access oral health care services.ObjectiveThis study is designed to develop procedures that test the feasibility of enhanced COVID-19 triage and testing in dental offices. It will provide preliminary data to support a larger network-wide study grant application aimed at developing protocols to address safety concerns of patients and DHCWs in a peri–COVID-19 pandemic era.MethodsThe feasibility study is being conducted in 4 private dental practices, each of which has a dentist member of the National Dental Practice–Based Research Network. Participants include the DHCWs and patients of the dental practice. Study procedures include completion of COVID-19 triage, completion of COVID-19 testing (point-of-care [POC] or laboratory-based [LAB] SARS-CoV-2 viral, antigen, and antibody tests based on office designation), and administration of perception and attitude surveys for participating DCHWs and patients of the dental practice over a defined study period. The office designation and the participant’s role in the practice determines which testing protocol is executed within the office. There are 4 study groups following 4 distinct protocols: (1) POC DHCWs, (2) POC patients, (3) LAB DHCWs, and (4) LAB patients.ResultsData collection began in December of 2021 and concluded in March 2022. Study results are expected to be published in fall 2022.ConclusionsThe results of this feasibility study will help identify the viability and functionality of COVID-19 triage and testing in dental practices and inform a larger network-wide study grant application that develops protocols that address safety concerns of patients and DHCWs in a COVID-19 environment.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NTC05123742; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05123742?term=NCT05123742International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/38386

Evaluation of dental students' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional survey.

This study aimed to determine the differences between preclinical and clinical dental students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A cross-sectional study was carried out among 303 undergraduate dental students (107 clinical students and 196 preclinical students). Questionnaires were given to the participants using an online data collection platform. The online questionnaire covered the dental students' socio-demographic information and their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Coronavirus disease. More frequently than preclinical students, clinical students benefited from the latest information about the COVID-19 outbreak obtained from television, internet news sites, and the World Health Organization website (P<0.05). The use of other protective equipment other than gloves and goggles has changed from "No" before the pandemic to "Yes" onset of the pandemic (P<0.001). The knowledge level of infection control in dentistry increased significantly more for clinical students than for preclinical students (P<0.001). Although dental students show reasonable knowledge, attitudes and behavior about COVID-19, attention should be taken to provide education on infectious diseases, starting from preclinical classes, and to make real information resources provided by global and national health authorities accessible to students.

Evolving with new threats

Kate Scheer discusses how infectious dieseases influence infection control in dentistry.