FREE Online Continuing Education

Educational objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to achieve the following:

• Modernize their learning about dental caries as an infectious disease.
• Utilize contemporary caries detection methods.
• Gain a better understanding of the current demineralization and remineralization process of tooth structure.
• Comprehend the paradigm shift from a surgical approach to a medical model approach to dental caries.
• Become confident in practicing caries risk assessment, personalize caries management, and suggest products to promote remineralization.

Disinfection and Sterilization: A Primer
Speaker: Margaret Scarlett, DMD

Synopsis: This lecture contains a practical, rational and economical approach to instrument processing and sterilization and disinfection in the dental office. In addition to discussion of categorization of patient care items and sterilization techniques, practitioners are guided through a discussion of types of germicidal products. The type of germicidal product depends on the nature of the contamination (meaning the organic material such as whether it is blood or saliva), the amount of the contamination present, and whether it is sporicidal or tuberculocidal. Sterilization and disinfection also extends to other areas, such as the laboratory, the dental unit water lines, evacuation systems and amalgam separator issues.

Educational objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to achieve the following:

• Discuss the basic principles of sterilization and disinfection, including the importance of cleaning each item before a process is used.
• Highlight methods of sterilization in detail.
• Detail the types of chemical sterilants/disinfectants and appropriate selection for patient care items.
• Highlight key principles for special considerations for disinfection and sterilization issues, such as laboratory items, dental unit water lines, amalgam separators, and evacuation systems.
• Review some of the regulatory compliance issues regarding disinfectants.