Dental Assistants: At Risk

Communicable diseases pose a very real and very big threat to dental assistants, so it's important that they know what they're dealing with. Communicable or infectious diseases are transmitted from one person to another through blood, mucus, saliva and other body fluids. Because dental assistants frequently touch a patient's oral area, they are exposed to the same substances that can carry communicable diseases. Many infectious diseases such as herpes can manifest in the mouth and so pose a threat to anyone who comes into contact with the infected area.

Although patients are always asked to inform their doctor or their dentist regarding any communicable diseases they might have, many do otherwise. Dental assistants should work under the assumption that every patient is a potential carrier of disease, and should thus employ all safety measures available.

It is imperative that dental assistants always wear gloves when working around patients, even if they are merely observing or watching the procedure. An emergency could arise at any moment and the dental assistant will have to be able to provide immediate assistance; the dental assistant has no grace period to scrub up and put on gloves. The dental assistant should immediately replace damaged gloves, even if the problem is just a small hole in the glove. Viruses and other pathogens can get in through the smallest of openings so damaged gloves will only increase the risk of catching the disease.

Dental assistants should also follow their employer's safety guidelines to the letter. If the instructions aren't available or are unclear, the dental assistant should be the one to inquire. Those guidelines and procedures make sure that the tools and the procedure area are sufficiently sterile as per certain standards. This assures the safety not only of the dentist or the dental assistant, but also of the patients themselves.

Whenever dental assistants find that they have touched the blood, saliva or other body fluids of patients, they should wash the area with running water and soap at once. By cleaning the area, there is a significantly reduced risk of any actual infection. However, the dental assistant still has to inform a direct superior about the incident to ensure that all of the facilities' safety policies were fulfilled. Those same policies must be known by the dental assistant from the get-go for better and faster response to situations where hygiene and safety are compromised.

Being a dental assistant is a fulfilling occupation despite all the risks that are associated with the job. Those risks are very real, yet can be mitigated by close compliance to set safety standards and procedures. Safety is paramount in the dental field and adherence to the policies ensures the safety of both the dental professionals and the patients.