A Study of Aseptic Techniques in a Dental Hygiene Educational Clinic

Abstract

Infection control is a critical component in the process of care for patients. Dental hygiene students must receive thorough instruction concerning aseptic techniques. Ongoing evaluations must be utilized to determine if students are performing these techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible areas of cross-contamination in a dental hygiene clinic and to determine if improvements needed to be made in the infection control protocols taught to the students. The study was conducted in an educational setting with IRB approval given on an exempt status. A dental hygiene clinic at a local University provided a purposive sample. Weekly, surfaces were cultured to determine the presence or absence of Staph or Strep spp. Pre test and post test swabbings were taken. The results of the study indicated that cross-contamination was evident in the radiology room and on the dental radiographic processor. On a percentage basis, cross-contamination was evident on 5% of the environmental surfaces during Week 1, with the lead apron showing positive for Staph spp. Week 2 results showed 10% of environmental surfaces contaminated with Staph spp. (lead apron and radiographic processor). Weeks 3 and 4 both had positive tests with 5% of the environmental surfaces showing cross-contamination of Staph spp. SPSS was used to design tables showing the Weekly Log Reports for the environmental surfaces cultured for the presence (+) or absence (-) of Staph and Strep spp. Results indicated that the cross-contamination may have occurred due to insufficient aseptic techniques by the students during the cleaning process. It was concluded that ongoing training in aseptic techniques should be taught to students in the clinical setting.