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Personal Protective Equipment by Stuart J. Oberman, Esq.

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More and more dental practitioners are receiving letters and phone calls from OSHA regarding compliance with OSHA's standards for personal protective equipment. All dental practitioners should ensure their dental practice is in compliance and all employees are trained to follow OSHA's guidelines so that any OSHA investigation will be easily defended.

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that dental health-care workers wear personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, eyewear and protective clothing in certain situations in order to reduce the risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Personal protective equipment is meant to protect a dental health-care worker's skin and eyes, nose and mouth from exposure to a patient's potentially infectious material.

Dental health-care personnel should always wear protective eyewear or a face shield during any procedure or patient care that is likely to generate sprays of blood or bodily fluid. The protective eyewear prevents the mucous membranes of the eyes from contact with microorganisms and from splatter generated during dental procedures. In addition, it is important that dental employees clean the protective eye equipment regularly with soap and water and disinfect the eyewear after each patient visit.

Surgical masks that cover a dental health-care worker's nose and mouth should also be used during any dental procedure that is likely to generate any splatter of blood or other bodily fluid. The surgical mask should be disposed of after each patient visit. In addition, when splatter and spray of bodily fluids are anticipated, dental health-care personnel should utilize gowns or jackets to protect their skin and clothing. For the safety of the health-care personnel, the gown or jacket should be changed daily and should never be worn outside of the dental office.

OSHA also requires dental health-care providers to wear gloves when touching a patient's blood, saliva or other potentially infectious materials to prevent contamination of the provider's hands and to reduce the likelihood that contaminated materials on the provider's hand will be transferred to the patient during treatment. However, it is very important that dental practice employees are aware that wearing gloves does not eliminate the need for hand washing. Because gloves might have defects or might be torn during use, it is imperative that dental health-care providers thoroughly wash their hands before and after utilizing gloves for dental treatment. OSHA advises against washing the actual gloves before use, as this can cause micro-punctures, which might allow bodily fluids to penetrate through the punctures in the gloves.

In addition, OSHA regulates the type of glove that should be utilized by a dental health-care provider for specific dental treatments. For example, gloves made out of natural rubber latex, nitrile, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride should be used for patient examinations and other non-surgical procedures. These gloves are considered a medical device, regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Gloves made out of natural rubber latex, nitrile, and combinations of latex or synthetics can be used for surgical procedures. These gloves are also considered a medical device, regulated by the FDA and are sterile and single-use disposable. They must be used for one patient only and discarded immediately after use. Finally, gloves made out of neoprene, nitrile or butyl rubber are non-medical gloves and can be used for cleaning, disinfecting and handling contaminated materials or chemicals. These gloves are not regulated by the FDA and are not for use during patient care.

OSHA investigations are becoming more and more common in dental offices. Dental practice owners must ensure that their practices are in compliance with OSHA's standards for personal protective equipment before a complaint is filed with OSHA and a costly investigation is launched.

Author's Bio
Stuart J. Oberman handles a wide range of legal issues for the dental profession including employment law, practice sales, OSHA and HIPAA compliance, real estate transactions, lease agreements, non-compete agreements, dental board complaints and professional corporations. For questions or comments, call 770-554-1400 or visit www.gadentalattorney.com. Also find him on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedI.

Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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