Infection Control Concepts and Standard Precautions
The chain of infection and how to break it
Infection control in dentistry rests on one idea: every patient is potentially infectious. Standard precautions require you to treat blood, saliva, and other potentially infectious material (OPIM) as if they carry bloodborne pathogens, regardless of the patient's diagnosis. The chain of infection has six links-infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host. You break it with hand hygiene, PPE, safe sharps handling, and environmental controls.
Hand hygiene and PPE
Perform hand hygiene before and after every patient, after glove removal, and whenever hands are visibly soiled. Soap and water are required when hands are visibly contaminated or after exposure to spore-forming organisms such as C. difficile; otherwise an alcohol-based rub is acceptable. Gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene. Wear gloves, a mask, protective eyewear, and a gown when splash or spatter is likely. Change masks when wet or soiled and between patients; do not let masks dangle. Remove PPE in the correct order-gloves first, then eyewear, gown, mask-and perform hand hygiene immediately after.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Questions often test whether standard precautions depend on a known diagnosis (they do not), whether gloves replace handwashing (they do not), and whether alcohol rub works on visibly soiled hands (it does not). A common trap is the “double glove” assumption; double gloving is not routine. Worked example: a patient says, “I’m not sick, so you don’t need the mask.” You still wear PPE based on the task, not the patient’s report. Rule of thumb: if it is wet and not yours, treat it as infectious.