Infection Control, Sterilization, and Occupational Safety
Regulatory framework
Indiana dental infection-control rules track CDC recommendations and OSHA bloodborne-pathogen requirements. The dental office needs a written exposure-control plan, hepatitis B vaccination offered to at-risk employees, PPE, hand hygiene, safe sharps handling, labeled waste, and training. Standard precautions apply to all patients regardless of known status.
Sterilization and monitoring
Instruments that penetrate tissue or contact bone must be cleaned and sterilized. Use an autoclave with written operating procedures, package indicators, biological spore testing at the required interval, and a log. A positive spore test requires removing the load or sterilizer from service, investigating, and following the rule's recall/reprocessing steps. Surface disinfectants must be approved for the intended contact time; they are not sterilants. Waterlines and suction need the office's established maintenance protocol.
Worked example
The weekly spore test is positive for a load processed three days earlier. The office should not simply rerun the test and keep using the autoclave. It should hold the sterilizer, identify patients and instruments affected, notify as required, reprocess or discard, and document corrective action. The key is patient safety and a defensible traceability record.
Traps that cost marks
Equating gloves with hand hygiene. Using a dishwasher or boiling water as sterilization. Skipping spore testing because indicators turn color. Failing to document training or exposure incidents.