Infection Control, Patient Records, and Confidentiality
Infection control
The Board adopts infection control rules that track accepted standards, including standard precautions, hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, sterilization and disinfection protocols, and safe handling of sharps. Compliance is a licensure obligation, not merely an office policy, and violations can support discipline. Questions often test whether a particular practice is required or merely recommended, and whether the obligation rests on the dentist, the hygienist, or both. In general, each licensee is responsible for complying with the rules in their own practice.
Records
Patient records must be maintained as the rules require, including content, legibility, and retention period, and they must be available to the patient or the patient's authorized representative on request. Records should reflect the patient of record, treatment rendered, and authorization. A frequent trap is assuming records may be altered after a complaint; altering or destroying records to avoid scrutiny is itself a disciplinary ground. Another trap is assuming records belong solely to the dentist with no patient access right.
Confidentiality
Patient information is confidential, and disclosure is permitted only with authorization or as required or permitted by law, such as reporting duties, subpoenas, or treatment coordination. Questions frequently test whether a disclosure fits an exception. Discussing a patient's care in a public setting, posting identifiable information online, or releasing records without proper authorization are classic violations.
Rule of thumb
For any disclosure question, identify the legal basis for release before releasing anything: patient authorization, a legal requirement, or a recognized exception. If none applies, do not disclose.
Worked example
An office receives a subpoena for records without patient authorization. The correct approach is to follow the rules and legal process for responding to subpoenas rather than releasing records informally or ignoring the subpoena, and to document the response.