Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1274423
12 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 3 AUGUST 2020 QUALITY & INFECTION CONTROL Colorado dental practice temporarily shuts down after two employees contract COVID-19 By Katie Adams D illon, Colo.-based dental practice Innovative Family Den- tal temporarily closed its doors after two of its staff mem- bers tested positive for COVID-19. One employee received positive test results June 26, leading the practice to temporarily close. Another employee tested pos- itive, but none of the practice's patients did. The Summit County Public Health Department and the Colora- do Department of Public Health and Environment investigated the outbreak and traced the infected employees' close contacts. The county department discovered that some of the infected employees had been sharing a break room and is working with the practice to develop break room sanitation guidelines. "We can expect to continue to see small outbreaks like this as we take steps forward to reopen our economy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," Summit Public Health Director Amy Wine- land, MSN, RN, said in a June 30 news release. "Close collabora- tion with the ownership of the practice, and proactive measures on their part, along with our contact tracing process enabled us to identify positive cases early on and contain spread from this outbreak." n ADA encourages waiting period before disinfecting treatment rooms By Katie Adams D entists should exercise caution in determining the waiting period before disinfecting treatment rooms, according to the American Dental Associa- tion's response to the CDC's recent relaxation of dental safety protocols. The CDC removed its recommendation to wait 15 minutes before disinfecting treatment rooms from its guidelines for dental settings June 17. However, the ADA urges dentists to assess their practice's COVID-19 infection hazards and make an informed decision on how long to wait before dis- infection, since aerosol droplets need time to settle in the room to lessen the likelihood of virus transmission. The ADA recommends dentists consider the following variables: • Room air flow rate • Procedure length • Patient volume • HEPA air filtration device use • Rubber dams and high speed evacuation use n Dentists still facing patient backlash over infection control procedures By Katie Adams A recent viral video of a disgruntled dental patient is serving as a reminder of the adverse reactions many dentists face when implementing new safety protocols during the pandemic. A TikTok video emerged July 9 of a woman delivering hos- tile retorts to a dental employee's request that she wear a face mask in the waiting room and get her temperature taken. "You can't take my temperature; that's against the law. You're not an MD. I have a right to sue you for harassing me," the woman says in the video. n New dental devices stop saliva spray By Gabrielle Masson M ilwaukee-based Dental Associates has invested in new infection control devices, including two devices that stop saliva spray and help lower virus exposure risk, according to NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV. Dental Associates and its 14 Southeast Wisconsin dental of- fices now own Zirc Dental Products' Mr. Thirsty and Kulver's Ivory ReLeaf. Both devices suck in saliva particles before they go into the air. Amanda Belcher, a dental hygienist at Franklin, Wis.-based Dental Associates, said she feels safe and the devices protect both staff and patients. n