Infection Control
Infection Control tests standard precautions, sterilisation, and asepsis in endodontic practice.
Core rules
- Treat all patients as potentially infectious: hand hygiene, gloves, mask, eye protection, and gowns are standard.
- Use a rubber dam for all endodontic treatment to isolate the field and reduce aerosol.
- Clean and sterilise instruments before reuse; monitor autoclaves with physical, chemical, and biological indicators.
- Use single-use items where designated; never reuse needles or files that cannot be cleaned.
- Manage sharps immediately in puncture-resistant containers and disinfect surfaces between patients.
- Preprocedural mouth rinse reduces aerosols but does not replace PPE or asepsis.
Worked example
An endodontic file is dropped on the floor mid-treatment. It is not wiped and reused; it is discarded in a sharps container and a sterile replacement is taken. The autoclave log is checked at the end of the session, and a biological indicator is processed as scheduled. This avoids cross-contamination and provides traceability.
Traps that cost marks
Cold disinfection instead of sterilisation; reusing single-use needles; skipping biological monitoring; and wearing gloves to touch records or keyboards.