Dental Public Health, Prevention, and Infection Control
Core concepts
Understand oral health promotion, epidemiology, and the principles of prevention at individual and community levels. Know fluoride mechanisms and delivery (water, toothpaste, varnish, gel), fissure sealants, and diet advice. Understand the determinants of oral health and inequalities.
Infection control
Master standard precautions: hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, sharps safety, sterilisation, and waste disposal. Know the decontamination cycle, autoclave validation, and the importance of documented policies. Understand transmission of bloodborne viruses and the management of needlestick injuries.
Traps
Questions often test the correct order of the decontamination cycle: cleaning, inspection, packaging, sterilisation, storage. Another trap is relying on alcohol hand rub when hands are visibly soiled - wash with soap and water. Do not confuse disinfection with sterilisation. Know that standard precautions apply to all patients, not only those with known infections.
Rule of thumb
If it is not clean, it cannot be sterile: cleaning must precede sterilisation.
Worked example
An instrument is visibly contaminated after use: clean it first, inspect, package, then autoclave and document the cycle; skipping cleaning compromises sterilisation.