Use of personal protective equipment in dental practices

In dentistry, dental teams work not only with patients whose medical history is potentially unknown or undisclosed, but also with a large amount of hazardous materials that can damage our health.

Risk assessments, health and safety legislation, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, among other things, are designed to help the dental professional remain safe in the working environment.

However, if anyone fails to don or even wear personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly, then only the dental professional can be blamed should they be exposed unnecessarily to harmful pathogens or dangerous substances. The risk posed by cross-infection remains the same; health scares come and go yet the inherent problem of pathogens passing from patient–clinician–patient or any combination remains the same. Ebola was the most recent health scare, and advice was issued to dental practices on how best to deal with this potential problem (Public Health England, 2015), although the risk to dental teams is low.