Construction Issues

An office exhibiting the picture to the right during operational hours is not in compliance with the electrical standards of not only OSHA........ but those of most localities as well. In addition this condition shown above may pose a serious threat to not only employees, but patients and visitors as well.

We know that our contractors ideally should take care of these situations as part of their completion of the project. However, we at Dynamic Dental Safety are seeing an increasing number of these situations in existing operational dental facilities. Please note that "ignorance is not a defense" in an office ........ and the liabilities are enormous.

It is imperative that each and every "team member" be empowered with bringing any and all safety issues to the correct person in the dental office. Additionally, a third party evaluation of the facility is almost always a benefit to the office.

Dynamic Dental Safety performs this service and all other compliance issues for the dental office. Please contact us at (888) 669-8846 ext. 701 for information on our comprehensive services for your dental office.

Dental Records

The dental record/chart is an official document. As such attention to detail is vital in all aspects of this document. Part of the "due diligence" for each and every dental office should be the monitoring and auditing of these documents. Of particular importance is the medical history of the patient. This should always be reviewed with the patient orally and signed by the reviewer.

Dynamic Dental Safety can assist the office with the "auditing form" that should be employed to ensure full compliance with your State Board of Registration as well as many of the insurers.
Please contact us at (888) 669-8846 ext. 701 for further information with regard to compliance issues in the dental office.

Ceiling Tiles

As we can all see, the picture to the right is not a pretty one. With the inordinate amount of plumbing necessary to operate a dental office, there can be times when a pipe or connection fails. Either this or some weather event may cause damage to the dental office.

When ceiling tiles become saturated with water they pose serious issues on multiple levels. Firstly, due to the weight of the water, the tile or tiles can become quite heavy and eventually may break and injure either an employee or visitor to the dental office.

Past this, when the immediate problem is "contained", the issue then may become one of air quality. In the above picture, the recommendation to the dental office was to replace the affected tiles due to appearance and potential for mold growth. This potential additionally could pose long term liabilities for the owner of the dental office as welll as open the office up to the visitation by the regulatory agencies.

Dynamic Dental Safety addresses all forms of compliance issues for the dental office. Please contact us for information on our cost effective programs for your office at:

(888) 669-8846 ext. 701

What's in Your Biohazard Box?

This is a biohazard box from a dental facility that was reviewed by Dynamic Dental Safety. Many of you may note that there are items in this double corrugated box that are at the very least unnecessary in most states. This only adds to the expense of the dental office and additionally needlessly overfills our landfills.

Please note that it is important to dispose of any and all "biohazardous" materials with appropriate care. It is also important to review your state and local regulations with respect to these items and their proper disposal and recordkeeping.

Dynamic Dental Safety assists dental offices with all compliance regualtions for state specific guidelines as well as OSHA and CDC standards. Please contact us for any compliance questions and solutions at: (888) 669-8846 ext. 701

Eyewash........ more information

We at Dynamic Dental Safety have addressed the eyewash station in a number of blogs to date. Location, usage, and documentation of monitoring of this device are essential for all staff to exhibit their knowledge.

Now, a situation that has presented itself on numerous occasions, we feel is important to address for each and every dental office. Due to our labor and work situations, we in the dental field are sometimes confronted with the need to employ a "temp" in our office. This may seem like an innocuous situation, however, it may pose some serious liability for our dental office.

Take for example the "temp" who might accidentally have something affect his or her eye(s). If we at the dental office did not take the time to "show" this individual where the eyewash was located and how to operate it........ and further to document this ....... we might be assuming untold liability.

For assistance with this or any other compliance issue facing the dental office, please contact us a Dynamic Dental Safety for our cost effective solutions for your dental office at:

(888) 669-8846 ext. 701

Location of Emergency Eye Wash Stations

Q. Where should the emergency eye wash station be located?

A. To be effective, the equipment has to be accessible. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recommends that a person be able to reach the equipment in no more than 10 seconds. In practical terms, consider that the person who needs the equipment will be injured, and may not have use of their vision. Recommendations for this distance in linear terms range from 15 to 30 meters (50 to 100 feet).

Other recommendations include that the eyewash station should:

- be located as close to the hazard as possible
- not be separated by a partition from the hazardous work area.
- be on an unobstructed path between the workstation and the hazard. (Workers should not - have to pass through doorways or weave through machinery or other obstacles to reach them.)
- be located where workers can easily see them - preferably in a normal traffic pattern.
- be on the same floor as the hazard (no stairs to travel between the workstation and the emergency equipment)
- not come into contact with any electrical equipment that may become a hazard when wet.

Reference: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety

Digital X-Rays and Lead Aprons

Q. Our office has switched to digital x-rays... do we still need to place lead aprons and thyroid collars on our patients?

A. From a scientific standpoint, the answer is esstentially no. From a risk management standpoint, the anwer is yes.

Many years ago, dental x-ray equipment was a lot less sophisticated than it is today. Not only that, the type of film used was much slower than that in use now, and a LOT slower than the new digital x-rays. Depending on instrument settings, digital x-rays may have lower amounts of radiation emitted. Overall, the technological improvements in equipment, film types and data processing in use today have pretty much eliminated the need for leaded aprons.

However, patients often expect to have an apron placed over them during their procedures, just because they were used to seeing them in the past. In addition, it is conceivable that a patient could subsequently claim (perhaps many years after their treatment) that a medical issue they have is as a result of radiation exposure. So, from a risk management standpoint, it would be best to continue to use lead chest aprons and thyroid collars when using both traditional and digital x-ray systems.

Contaminated Toothpaste from China

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found a poisonous chemical, diethylene glycol (DEG), in certain toothpastes imported from China. DEG is used in antifreeze and as a solvent. The agency increased its scrutiny and testing of imported toothpaste and dental products after receiving reports in late May 2007 of contaminated Chinese dental products found in several countries, including Panama.

The agency is warning consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China and, through an import alert, is stopping all suspect toothpaste from entering the United States. FDA continues to investigate this problem and will take further action, as appropriate, to address this important public safety issue.

FDA is not aware of any U.S. reports of poisonings from toothpaste containing DEG. However, the agency is concerned about potential risks from chronic exposure to DEG and exposure to DEG in certain populations, such as children and individuals with kidney or liver disease. DEG in toothpaste has a low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury to these populations. Toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed, but FDA is concerned about unintentional swallowing or ingestion of toothpaste containing DEG.

What to Avoid:
- Products labeled “made in China”
- Counterfeit toothpaste falsely packaged as "Colgate," manufactured in South Africa
- Packages labeled in a language other than English

Frequently Asked Questions About the Contaminated Toothpaste from China. (En Español)

HIPAA Tips

Q. Will sending appointment reminder postcards violate HIPAA?

A. It is A-OK to send an appointment reminder card which simply states the date/time of the appointment. However, confidentiality would be violated if you provide both the patient's name and reason for the visit (e.g. Mr. Jones, this is a reminder of your July 17, 2007 appointment for your crown).

Storage and Dispensing of Hand Care Products

Handwashing products, including plain (i.e., nonantimicrobial) soap and antiseptic products, can become contaminated or support the growth of microorganisms. Liquid products should be stored in closed containers and dispensed from either disposable containers or containers that are washed and dried thoroughly before refilling. Soap should not be added to a partially empty dispenser, because this practice of topping off might lead to bacterial contamination. Store and dispense products according to manufacturers’ directions.

Ref. CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings — 2003

Stress at Work

Working conditions play a primary role in causing job stress. However, the role of individual factors is not ignored. According to the NIOSH view, exposure to stressful working conditions (called job stressors) can have a direct influence on worker safety and health. Examples of individual and situational factors that can help to reduce the effects of stressful working conditions include the following:

- Balance between work and family or personal life
- A support network of friends and coworkers
- A relaxed and positive outlook

Ref. Stress at Work - NIOSH Publication No. 99-101: