Infection Control, Sterilization, and Safety Standards
Standard precautions
Michigan dental practice rules incorporate standard precautions: treat all blood and saliva as infectious. Use gloves, masks, eye protection, and gowns as indicated; perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal. Avoid recapping needles by hand; use sharps containers. Single-use items are not reused. Surfaces are cleaned and disinfected between patients.
Sterilization and monitoring
Instruments must be cleaned, packaged, sterilized, and stored so that sterility is maintained. Each sterilizer should be monitored with biological spore tests at least weekly, and the results must be logged. A positive spore test requires removing the sterilizer from service, reprocessing affected instruments, and investigating. Waterlines require flushing and maintenance according to the manufacturer's instructions. The office must have an exposure control plan under MIOSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard and offer hepatitis B vaccination to at-risk employees.
Worked example
A spore test is positive on Friday. The office should not simply repeat the test and keep using the autoclave. It should take the unit out of service, review the load records, reprocess instruments from affected loads, and arrange repair or retraining. Documentation of the event and corrective action is part of the record.
Traps
Cold sterile solutions are not a substitute for proper sterilization. Gloves do not replace hand hygiene. Do not assume a weekly spore test is optional; it is a standard monitoring requirement. Do not store sterile packs next to the sink or in a damp cabinet.