Dental Hygiene
  

Bloodborne Pathogens Policy

Students enrolled in the Dental Hygiene Program will be performing exposure prone procedures and will be required to wear safety glasses, gloves, face masks and protective clothing during all laboratory and clinic activities that produce airborne particulate matter, or expose students to patients during dental procedures. An exposure prone procedure is one in which there is an increased opportunity for the exchange of blood borne pathogens between the patient and the dental health care provider because of the kind of procedure being performed.

Safety policies, procedures and protocols are taught and followed according to OSHA regulations and CDC standards to provide a safe learning and patient care environment. The program policies on Bloodborne Pathogens and Infectious Disease are available to applicants upon request. Upon acceptance to the program, extensive training in this area will occur.

Applicants who have an infectious disease or who are carriers of an infectious disease should seek counsel from their physician and the program director prior to application. The college will follow CDC suggested work restrictions for health-care personnel infected with or exposed to major infectious diseases in health care settings, from the CDC's Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings-2003, available at the following link

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a1.htm

Table 1. attached to and incorporated by this reference to this policy.

All Clark College students enrolled in a healthcare program, including dental hygiene, with requirements for practical experience of field training have to pass a Criminal History Check (CHC) as a condition of their acceptance into a medical or other facility for training.




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Associate in Arts Degree
Associate in Applied Science Degree