INFECTION CONTROL

The Dental Board of Australia has strict guidelines on infection control that outline how to prevent or minimise the risk of spreading infectious diseases in the dental practice. As a patient, you have the right to know whether your dentist is compliant with these guidelines or not, so that you can be confident that your health is not at risk.

At New Leaf Dentists, we take our infection control very seriously and have stringent protocols to ensure we continuously comply with Australian Standards. It is at the forefront of our minds as we commence our day until the lights go out at night. Our team undergoes regular training to stay on top of this very important aspect of our practice. It is our minimum expectation that the 5 factors outlined below are adhered to at all times.

Our sterilisation bay where each instrument goes through a stringent process to ensure the safety and health of our patients

Standard Precautions of Infection Control at our practice

Hand Hygiene: Since hands are the most common mode of disease transmission, it is important that your dentist regularly cleans his/her hands before and after patient treatment.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): This involves wearing of gloves, masks, gowns, protective eye wear for our clinical staff, and protective eye wear for the patient. This is to protect the skin and the mucous membranes from exposure to infectious or potentially infectious materials in spray or splatter.

Environmental Surfaces: Dental health care providers must know the contaminated zones and clean zones within the operatory area. Contaminated areas must be cleaned and disinfected following every patient’s treatment.

Patient Care Equipment: This includes reprocessing of instruments that must comply with Australian and New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4815 “All steps necessary to make a contaminated reusable device ready for its intended use”. Each reusable instrument must be cleaned, inspected, sterilised using steam sterilisers (also knows as “autoclave”) and stored in a clean, dry place. This process needs to be monitored and if possible, tracked regularly. Any disposable single-use items must be disposed of after use.

Injury Prevention: This involves the handling of sharps, contaminated waste, and the management of spills and potentially infectious matter.

When you visit us at our dental clinic in Erina, you’re welcome to have a tour of our sterilisation area so you can feel comfortable in knowing that we do our best to minimise the risk of infection at our practice. We believe that this forms part of our responsibility to our community here on the Central Coast.