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Personal Protective Equipment

Ensure safety with the right personal protective equipment and routines

PPE refers to protective clothing, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks and/or respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness.1 PPE must also be considered for patients as they enter the facility and provided to administrative staff who may be screening them upon arrival.

Gown

Dental Hygiene Care Professionals (DHCP) should wear protective clothing (eg, gowns, jackets) to prevent contamination of scrubs and to protect the skin from exposure to blood and bodily fluids.

  • Sleeves should be long enough to protect the forearms.
  • Protective clothing should be changed after use or when it becomes visibly soiled by blood or other bodily fluids.
  • DHCP should remove protective clothing before leaving the work area.

Mask

It is recommended that all DHCP use the highest level of PPE available when treating patients to reduce the risk of exposure. Use your professional judgment related to treatment provided and the patient’s risk factors.2

This may include N95 respirator or Level 3 surgical mask in combination with a face shield.

Eyewear/Face Shields

Protective Eyewear

  • DHCP should wear protective eyewear with solid side shields or a face shield during procedures likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood or bodily fluids or the spatter of debris. Reusable protective eyewear should be cleaned with soap and water, and when visibly soiled, disinfected between patients.
  • Personal eyeglasses are not considered PPE.
  • Protective eyewear should be provided to patients.

Face Shields

  • Face shields provide full-face coverage.
  • Must be worn with a face mask.

Gloves

DHCP should wear gloves to prevent contamination of their hands when touching mucous membranes, blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious materials and to reduce the likelihood that microorganisms on their hands will be transmitted to patients during patient care.

  • Gloves should be used for one patient only and discarded appropriately after use.
  • Hand hygiene should be performed prior to donning gloves and immediately after glove removal.

Proper sequence for donning/applying PPE
1. Perform Hand Hygiene
2. Gown
3. Mask
4. Eyewear/Face Shield
5. Perform hand hygiene
6. Gloves

Proper sequence for doffing/removing PPE
1. Remove gloves
2. Remove gown
3. Perform hand hygiene
4. Remove face shield or goggles
5. Remove and discard mask or respirator
6. Perform hand hygiene

The PracticeProtect Mission

We are on a mission: To stop the spread of infectious diseases in dental practices worldwide.

Our PracticeProtect range of infection prevention products for instruments, surfaces, disposables, and specialties cover all the touchpoints in your work day that could potentially spread disease. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to create a clinical environment that’s healthier and safer for patients and dental professionals—and to help promote a lifetime of oral health.

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Explore more infection control & prevention topics

Personal protective equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be selected based on risk assessment and tasks to be performed.

These items are designed to provide a protective barrier during dental procedures and through the sterilization process. PPE must also be considered for patients as they enter the facility and provided to administrative staff who may be screening them upon arrival.

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Treatment center cleaning programs

Proper infection prevention with your dental units can prevent water contamination due to improper cleaning and disinfecting of dental units. Preventing cross-contamination, by effectively adhering to the strictest regulations and ultimately averting loss of revenue and time. 

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Instrument reprocessing

Instrument reprocessing requires multiple steps using specialized equipment to achieve sterilization. Each dental practice should have policies and procedures in place for containing, transporting, and handling instruments and equipment that may be contaminated with blood or bodily fluids.1

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Single-use solutions

The need to create a healthy environment for patients is more important than ever. Address patient needs and comply with the most demanding infection prevention requirements with Dentsply Sirona. Discover a wide range of presterilized and single-use instruments and consumables to help with efficiency and safety in your office.

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1. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/general-hospital-devices-and-supplies/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control
2. ADA Interim mask and face shield guidelines/tool kit ada.org
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Dept of Health and Human Services; October 2016.

The infection control and prevention recommendations presented in this document are in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), provides many resources for DHCP which may be found on their website at OSAP.org.

The information provided does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials cited in this paper are for general informational purposes only. Information in this paper may not constitute the most up-to-date advisory, legal or other information. This paper contains citations to third-party publications and websites. Such references are only for the convenience of the reader. Readers should consult their own legal and other advisors for specific information impacting their practices.