Dental personnel must maintain infection control standards in the radiology area comparable to those used in the Dental Treatment Room. See also UCLA Dental Clinic Handbook, Appendix A: Dental School Policy for the Use of Ionizing Radiation.
Follow handwashing procedures. Wear gloves when placing intraoral films and handling contaminated film packets.
When possible, sterilize film positioning devices. When necessary, disinfect by complete immersion in a disinfectant following manufacturer's instructions for high level disinfection.
Use disposable bite block cover for each patient, or treat bite blocks as you would a film positioning device.
Always cover film packets with disposable plastic or use pre-packaged film packets. Wear gloves while taking radiographs. Place packets removed from a patient's mouth directly into a paper cup.
A. remove contaminated wrappings from x-ray film packets being careful not to touch the uncontaminated packets.
B. drop the film packets onto a paper towel or any uncontaminated surface.
C. properly dispose of contaminated wrappings.
D. remove gloves and wash hands thoroughly.
E. carry uncontaminated film packets to darkroom, Insta-velop or automatic film processor.
F. remove uncontaminated packaging from actual film and process using standard procedures for tanks, Insta-velop or automatic processor.
Change barrier covers after each patient. Use an intermediate level disinfectant daily or whenever visibly contaminated.
Cover with plastic wrap or disposable drapes, changing after each patient. A plastic bag may be used over the tubehead/tube. Place barrier over unit control switches. Exercise care if wiping tubehead and controls to prevent disinfectant from leaking into the seams and exposed control areas.
PERIODONTICS INFORMATION CENTER