BIOL 1045
BIOLOGY
AND
MICROBIOLOGY
FOR THE
DENTAL ASSISTANT

Sunday, 8 September, 13

Infection Control
 Was

a difficult discipline for dental professionals  Newest of all disciplines
 Sterilization traditionally meant cleaning and soaking
 Only taken seriously within last 15 years

Sunday, 8 September, 13

Why Has It Taken So Long to Deal With
Infection Control?




Deal with hidden diseases
 Hepatitis B (carrier state)
 HIV
Years before it was realized that infectious diseases could be transmitted through dental procedures



Event that changed it all was one that demonstrated dentistry could be a target for transmission of deadly microbes…HIV 

2 things happened
 DDS in Florida accused of infecting patients with
HIV

Sunday, 8 September, 13

BIOL 1045
 Look

at Infection Control Procedures in the dental setting
 Identify protective measures to prevent disease transmission
 Select appropriate sterilization and disinfection techniques

Sunday, 8 September, 13

 Describe

the general classification and characteristics of microorganisms

 Look

at infectious diseases, particularly those relevant in a dental health care setting. Sunday, 8 September, 13

 Course

Sunday, 8 September, 13

Outline

 What

Sunday, 8 September, 13

if Saliva Were red?

The 4 Factors in the Chain of
Infection
PATHOGEN

PROPER PORTAL
OF
ENTRY

Sunday, 8 September, 13

#
OF
PATHOGEN

SUSCEPTIBLE
HOST

The 4 Factors in the Chain of Infection
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pathogen
Portal of entry
Susceptible Host
Sufficient numbers of the pathogen to cause infection

But what do these words mean???

Sunday, 8 September, 13

Chain of Infection-Definitions



Pathogen
What are pathogens?
• They are diseaseproducing microorganisms or germs
 Bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.

Sunday, 8 September, 13

Chain of Infection-Definitions



Portal of entry
The “doorway into the host”  The flu virus likes the respiratory system
(lungs)
 E. coli likes the digestive system
(mouth is the portal of entry) Sunday, 8 September, 13

Chain of Infection-Definitions


Susceptible host
 You need the right host for the microorganism • Pig cholera only affects pigs
• Bird flu affects birds
• A stressed human is more susceptible to infections because stress lowers the immune system!! Sunday, 8 September, 13

Chain of Infection-Definitions





Sufficient numbers to cause disease.
A potent or virulent virus like SARS only requires one virus to cause infection
A less virulent
(weaker) cold virus requires millions of viruses to make you sick Sunday, 8 September, 13

The 4 Factors in the Chain of
Infection
PATHOGEN

PROPER PORTAL
OF
ENTRY

Sunday, 8 September, 13

#
OF
PATHOGEN

SUSCEPTIBLE
HOST

Why is this important?
 Everyone

is at risk of getting an infection.
 However, if you eliminate one of the links in the chain of infection… you eliminate the infection

Sunday, 8 September, 13



Infection control will control the spread of disease by performing specific procedures
PATHOGEN



#
OF
PATHOGEN

Focus on hand hygiene PROPER PORTAL
OF
ENTRY

Sunday, 8 September, 13

SUSCEPTIBLE
HOST

 We

eliminate or reduce the number of potential disease causing pathogens so normal body defenses can deal with preventing diseases from occurring in the host.  The best practice to achieve this is by performing hand hygiene.
 What

Sunday, 8 September, 13

is hand hygiene?

What is Hand Hygiene?
Hand hygiene can be:


Hand washing
 Washing hands with plain soap and water



Antiseptic hand wash
 Washing hands with water and soap or other detergents containing an antiseptic or antibacterial agent



Hand sanitizing with an alcohol-based hand rub
 Rubbing hands with an
