INCON MIDTERMS

infection control midterm exam

Sharps Injuries

Needle sticks or cuts causing blood-borne virus exposure.

Contaminated Aerosols

From dental waterlines; e.g., Legionnaires’ disease, Pontiac fever.

Respiratory Aerosols

From infected patients; e.g., TB, Influenza

Eye & Skin Infections

e.g., herpetic whitlow, impetigo, conjunctivitis

Hypersensitivity Reactions

Skin or respiratory allergies; e.g., latex

Mercury Toxicity

Health effects from mercury exposure

culture of safety

helps prevent infection in dental practice through safe practices, infection control, PPE, immunization, and proper training. It requires the commitment of the entire dental team to maintain a safe environment.

Error Traps

Accidents such as sharps injuries can still occur, understanding their causes and recognizing recurring patterns called____ is important for preventing future incidents

Active failures

are unsafe actions by frontline staff that have immediate effects.

Example: A contaminated needle punctured a waste bag and injured a cleaner.

Latent failures

are hidden problems within the practice’s systems or management.

Example: A temporary cleaner was unvaccinated against hepatitis B and her vaccination status was not checked

Root cause analysis

helps identify active and latent failures in dental practice. Frontline staff and students can help identify problems and solutions by determining what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.

Immunization

provides direct protection to staff and indirect protection to patients, colleagues, and families, but it does not replace safe working practices

Occupational health services

can assess immunization needs and sharps/splash injuries.

MMR VACCINE

mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine immunization is strongly recommended as an occupational vaccine for healthcare workers

RUBELLA

also known as (german measles)

• caused by togavirus

Varicella

Also known as (Chicken pox)

HBIG (Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin)

provides temporary, passive protection after certain high-risk exposure of HEPATITIS B

BCG (Bacille Calmette–Guérin)

is the vaccine used to help protect against tuberculosis (TB).

Health and Social Care Act Approved Code of Practice 2015

all healthcare workers should have access to immediate, 24‐hour management of sharps injuries