CHICAGO, IL -How often do dentists suffer cuts with sharp objects? How often do they make contact with blood, saliva, tissue or other potentially infectious body fluids? It takes ONLY one incident to expose dental healthcare personnel to hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus or HIV infection. During dental procedures it is predictable that saliva will become contaminated with blood, even when the blood is not visible.
The risk of HBV from a single needle stick or a cut exposure to HBV-infected blood can be as high as 30 percent!
Even though the risk from HCV or HIV is miniscule, it rises if contact involves a large area of skin or if the contact is prolonged. The unsettling fact of the matter is that dental professionals, despite the precautions they take -wearing gloves, sterilizing equipment, washing their hands -are not always as knowledgeable about necessary precautions as they should be.
Retail hand care products do not meet the standards of medical grade products -which means, says Mary Govoni, past president of the American Dental Assistants Association, that infection control in the dental office cannot be assumed.
Dental instrument manufacturer, Hu-Friedy recently launched Hu-Friedy Hand Essentials, a complete line of premium hand care products, including moisturizers, soaps and sanitizers which provide dental professionals with medical grade products for hygiene and help with infection control program compliance.
For more information, visit www.hu-friedy.com or www.handessentials.com
