Hygiene Atlas

Atlas · Plate XIV · Infection Control · 01

Standard precautions

Standard precautions treat every patient as potentially infectious, whatever their known status. They cover blood, all body fluids except sweat, broken skin and mucous membranes, and in dentistry saliva counts too. Transmission-based precautions are added for known or suspected infections, and every office should have a written infection prevention program with a trained coordinator.

High-yield facts · 5

  1. Standard precautions apply to every patient, regardless of known infection status.S7S8
  2. They cover blood, all body fluids and secretions (except sweat), nonintact skin and mucous membranes; saliva is treated as potentially infectious in dentistry.S7
  3. Transmission-based precautions (contact, droplet, airborne) are added for known or suspected infections.S8
  4. The 2016 CDC summary covers education and training, HCP safety, program evaluation, hand hygiene, PPE, respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, safe injection practices, sterilization and disinfection, environmental infection control, and dental unit water quality.S8
  5. Each dental setting should have a written infection prevention program and at least one trained infection prevention coordinator.S8

Facts are written in our own words; each tag links to its source. Values marked "sources vary" differ between references, so check the one your program uses.