Infection control, sterilization, and public health requirements
Connecticut expects dental hygienists to apply current infection-control science and public health reporting duties. The exam tests standard precautions, sterilization monitoring, office infection-control programs, exposure management, and mandated public health reporting. Answers should reflect CDC and OSHA-aligned practice as incorporated into Connecticut requirements, not folklore such as "we always used cold sterile."
Core rules
- Use standard precautions for all patients: hand hygiene, gloves, masks, eye protection, gowns when indicated, and safe sharps handling.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment between patients; use appropriate barriers and EPA-registered disinfectants.
- Sterilize critical and semi-critical instruments by validated methods. Monitor autoclaves with mechanical, chemical, and biological indicators; act on failures.
- Maintain an exposure control plan, offer hepatitis B vaccination, and manage needlesticks and other exposures promptly.
- Dental hygienists are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect; elder abuse reporting also applies under Connecticut law.
- Report reportable communicable diseases and cooperate with DPH public health investigations as required.
Worked example
A spore test fails for the autoclave used for scalers. The office has already packaged instruments for the afternoon. The correct response is to stop using the sterilizer, quarantine or reprocess affected instruments, notify the supervisor, arrange repair and repeat biological testing, and document the event. Continuing to use the autoclave because chemical indicators looked acceptable is a mark-losing answer.
Traps that cost marks
- Thinking gloves replace hand hygiene or that a mask is optional for polishing.
- Relying only on the autoclave gauge or indicator tape and ignoring biological monitoring.
- Using a disinfectant wipe without required contact time.
- Failing to report suspected abuse because the dentist said the office would handle it.
- Confusing OSHA worker-protection duties with DPH public health reporting duties; both can apply.
Exam focus
Link each control to a patient or worker risk. Sterilization failure, sharps injury, and mandated reporting are common scenarios. Choose the answer that stops exposure first, then notifies, documents, and retests.