Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 1

9 Issue 1 | 2020 | CDA at W ork D entistry constantly evolves as science advances; new evidence— from researchers in dentistry and other fields of study—leads to new protocols, treatments, technology and materials. A dentist must be a lifelong learner to benefit from scientific and technological advances that can translate into higher quality care for patients. In the last 35 years, there has been a paradigm shift in infection prevention and control (IPC). When I went to dental school, wearing gloves while treating patients wasn’t common. Often, dentists trusted that their patients would tell them if they had hepatitis C or other infectious diseases. Then in the mid-1980s, during the AIDS crisis, IPC became a significant concern for the public. The story of a dentist in Florida who had HIV and who may have infected some of his patients was suddenly splashed across the pages of People Magazine and The New York Times . Dentistry adopted standard precautions, a concept of infection control that assumes that all bodily fluids are infected with pathogens. We began to wear gloves and masks whenever we were treating patients. The standards for sterilization of reusable medical devices were improved. In the years since, IPC has continued to advance. New standards have been introduced. Provincial and territorial guidelines have been updated as new research reveals more effective practices and protocols. Patients expect the highest standard of IPC in their oral health care. Dr. Nita Mazurat, who was director of regulatory compliance at the University of Manitoba and helped develop the Canadian standards for medical device reprocessing, leads an effort to bring the newest science about IPC to Canadian dentistry. She emphasizes that two integral parts of medical device reprocessing are the design of the space where reprocessing occurs, and instructions from device manufacturers about how to correctly reprocess their products. Many provincial dental organizations assess dental offices within their jurisdictions for IPC, medical device reprocessing, and record keeping procedures. Before my own office was assessed, I made sure that I had all the manuals and certified manufacturer’s instructions for use for my office’s equipment and devices. IPC isn’t flashy or glamorous, but it's necessary for dentists and their teams to perform these tasks with excellence and to local standards. One of CDA’s vision statements for the future of our profession is that all Canadian dentists will be lifelong learners prepared to meet the changing needs of society and embrace new practices that improve patient care. IPC is one of the many ever-developing skillsets that dentists need to keep learning over their careers. Along these lines, this edition of CDA Essentials features Part 1 of a two-part article by Dr. Mazurat and co-author Dr. Cecilia Dong on medical device reprocessing (p. 35). Part 2 will be included in a future edition in 2020. At CDA, we want to promote and encourage your journey of lifelong learning by bringing you new research, innovative science and updates from our dynamic profession. The bottom line on IPC is that we all need to be prepared to keep learning more about this topic. From the President Alexander (Sandy)Mutchmor, dmd president@cda-adc.ca The Importance of LifelongLearning