Cross contamination clinic-dental laboratory: Magnitude of the problem and proposal for action

Abstract

Over the course of the dental practice, both workers and patients are exposed to a wide variety of microorganisms susceptible to cause infection. The rigorous control normally followed during disinfection and sterilization of dental equipment in dental clinics may not be followed with the orthodontic or prosthodontic equipment sent to the dental laboratory. This doctoral thesis aims to review the practices of cross contamination control in prosthetic laboratories, determine the situation in Galicia, evaluate the audiovisual resources available on the Internet for self-training, analyze the knowledge about dental impression disinfection amongst undergraduate dental students during their clinical years at the University of Santiago de Compostela and create a self-training tool adapted to the needs of the undergraduate students.