by Andrea Cook

There has been talk for some time regarding an update to the Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings, 2003. CDC will not be releasing new guidelines for infection control in dental settings. However, CDC has developed a document entitled Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings Basic Expectations for Safe Care and Companion Checklist. This document summarizes existing recommendations to make them much easier to understand and use in all dental settings including our orthodontic practices. The summary focuses on standard precautions and the foundation for preventing transmission of infectious agents during patient care. The summary is intended to supplement the existing CDC recommendations, not replace them.