Dental office cell phone safety

Cell phones in the office are the expected and not the unusual... that said, it should be the policy of ALL dental offices to have them shut off while in the patient treatment areas.

There are many reasons for this not the least of which is that they can certainly present a significant distraction and may in fact interfere with the delivery of optimum dental care.

Additionally, most of these devices are able to take photos and some will also take videos. This has the potential to have some impact of a negative nature if some of the photos are misrepresentations. Please use caution with allowing electronic device usage by patients or visitors in the office.

Please call us at Dynamic Dental Safety ... (888) 669-8846 with any questions as well as complimentary phone consultation... visit us at our site www.dynamicdentalsafety.com for additional information regarding on-site services and continuing education with ADA/CERP credits.

Emergency Eye Wash Procedure

Photo Courtesy of ©Lab Safety Supply, Janesville, WI

It is essential that dental staff be properly trained on emergency eye wash procedures:

• Turn on water with right hand
• Pull button to activate
• Hold eyelids open using the thumb and index finger to help ensure that effective rinsing has occurred
• Water stream should NOT be directly aimed onto the eyeball, but aimed at the base of the nose
• Flush eyes and eyelids with water or eye solution for a minimum of 15 minutes. “Roll” eyes around to ensure full rinsing
• Medical attention should be sought immediately! Ideally another person in the office should make contact with responders or dial 911. The sooner medical attention can be given, the chances of not sustaining permanent damage or blindness is greatly improved.

Note that OSHA uses the American National Standard for Eyewashes and Showers (ANSI Z358.1-2004) to enforce standards for eyewash procedures and maintenance. For further information please contact Dynamic Dental Safety at: blog@dynamicdentalsafety.com or (888) 669-8846 ext 701.