Instructors and providers of patient care are required to wear clean clinical overgarments, approved by the Infection Control Committee, each day in clinical areas. Clinical attire that has been soiled with blood and/or opim (other potential infectious materials) must be exchanged for clean attire before encounter with another patient.
Clinical Over-garment Policy
Wearing of clinical over-garments (gowns) is restricted to Tarrson Hall, designated areas of Brauer Hall and Old Dental. Under no circumstances should gowns be worn outside of the patient care areas in these buildings. Gowns visibly soiled with blood and/or OPIM must be changed between patient appointments. Contaminated gowns should be placed in the laundry receptacles available in the clinic area prior to leaving the clinic.
Tarrson Hall is designated a patient care facility; therefore, gowns can be worn anywhere within Tarrson Hall.
Brauer Hall is considered a mixed-use facility. Gowns can be worn within all patient care areas and in transit between patient care areas.
Old Dental Building is considered a mixed use facility. Gowns can be worn only inside the GO Health Clinic.
The prohibited areas are:
- Administrative Suites
- Patient Simulation Classroom 148 Brauer
- Student Laboratory 347 Brauer
- Classrooms and seminar rooms
- Locker rooms, lounges and restrooms
- Research laboratories
- Outdoors
Gowns and surgical towels are not to be used to contain water spills.
Compliance with this policy represents a good-practice of infection control procedures.
Disposable treatment gloves must be worn in performing and/or assisting in all intra-oral procedures. In addition, treatment gloves must be worn:
- When opening exposed intra-oral X-ray film packets in the darkroom. (See Section X for details and exceptions.)
- In laboratory settings when there is a possibility of exposure to blood and/or opim.
- When handling equipment, instruments, and other items which have been contaminated with blood and/or opim, prior to being disinfected.
Jewelry must be removed from hands and fingernails should be trimmed sufficiently to prevent puncture of gloves. Long hair should be neatly styled/combed so as to not fall into the operator's field of vision or touch patient's face.
Sterile gloves must be worn in performing and/or assisting in all surgical procedures.
Hands must be thoroughly washed with antiseptic hand soap before gloves are put on and after they are removed. Also, hands and other skin surfaces must be thoroughly washed with antiseptic soap whenever contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials has occurred.
Any patient care provider with an exposed area of weeping dermatitis or a draining lesion will not treat and/or examine patients until the condition is resolved.
Disposable treatment gloves must not be worn outside the clinical area where treatment is rendered.
Treatment gloves must not be washed or disinfected for re-use with another patient.
Disposable mask and protective eye covering with solid side shields, or a face shield, must be worn during clinical examinations and chairside consultations in addition to any clinical procedure involving the generation of aerosols or spatter of blood or saliva. This applies to assisting personnel as well as to persons providing direct patient care. The disposable mask should be changed between patients or when visibly soiled. Protective eyewear should be disinfected between patients when visibly soiled/contaminated.
Instructors supervising patient care procedures, necessitating mucosal contact or contact with contaminated instruments, are required to change gloves between patients or use disposable overgloves.
Clean gloves, overgloves, or paper towels should be used to touch drawer handles, chairs, and non-sterile items to avoid contaminating those items.
Whenever preparing an anesthetic needle for intraoral use, obtain and install a protective shield on the needle sheath. All needles shall be used with a protective shield. Use the shield to support the empty needle sheath at an angle to provide easy one-handed resheathing of the needle. Re-capping of anesthetic needles is only permitted with the use of a protective shield by means of a one-handed technique.
Do not pass a syringe with an unsheathed, contaminated needle between clinician and assistant. or vise versa. The clinician should always re-sheath the needle using a one-handed technique.
The School of Dentistry considers the safety of its patients to be of paramount importance. Eye protection is an essential component of our safety program. Therefore, patients are required to wear protective eyewear during any treatment that might involve use of sharp instruments or result in flying debris. The treating faculty, staff or student will provide this eyewear to the patient when necessary. Patients who prefer to wear their own glasses should be discouraged from doing so, since their glasses will not have side shields. Eyewear must be disinfected after each use.
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