Infection Control in the Fast Lane!

The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the rise of new variants require dental practices to be flexible and resilient in their response. National dental standard operating procedures have been regularly updated during the pandemic by the office of the Chief Dental Officer and NHS England. However practices are still required to customise these changes for day to day use in their own dental practice and infection control protocols. This presentation will examine and discuss how the protocols for dental surgery infection control and prevention have been revised and modified to manage the threat posed by Omicron and other respiratory pathogens, whilst maintaining patient access to dental care.

Topics covered will include:

• the knowledge base on transmission of infections in dentistry including COVID-19;
• how these infections can be managed using SCIPs and transmission precautions;
• occupational health measures in dentistry and the importance of occupational vaccines against a background of new variants, long COVID and vaccine hesitancy;
• current standard operating procedures for infection control and prevention; and
• best practice regarding dental surgery ventilation (HTM 03-01).

On completion you should understand how and why changes in infection control in response to drivers like COVID-19 help protect patients and the dental team whilst optimising access to effective care.