Hand Hygiene: Principles and Effective Strategies

Hand hygiene is important in dental treatment settings by affording protection for both patients and dental professionals, even though treatment providers wear gloves for every procedure. Organisms on a clinician’s hands may be transferred to the patient’s mucous membranes or into the patient’s bloodstream via injection sites and openings in gingival tissue during dental treatment. Similarly, workers that touch contaminated tissues and body fluids can transfer infectious agents to themselves when touching their mouth, nose, eyes, or cuts and scrapes on otherwise intact skin. This issue of THE DENTAL ADVISOR discusses the importance of hand hygiene, the products available to the dental community, and what to consider when choosing what product works best for you.

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