- MEDIUM
- Clinical
- Tier 1
- Hard News
Responding to Occupational Exposures: 12 Questions from Our Learners
- Source
- CareQuest Institute
- Author
- Caitlin Locklear
- Originally at
- carequest.org(opens in a new tab)
Summary and scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol. Not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Dental practice owners and employers must maintain a written occupational exposure protocol so staff can act immediately and without confusion when an incident occurs.
Key points
- 01
Karen Gregory, RN, CDIPC, and Marie T. Fluent, DDS, FACD, CDIPC, report that the most common gap in dental practices is the absence of a pre-established written exposure policy.
- 02
Gregory states that the employer is responsible for arranging an immediate, confidential medical evaluation at no cost and for ensuring source-patient testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
- 03
Fluent notes that a scratch that does not break the skin is not an exposure; the area should be washed and recorded as a near miss.
- 04
The 2025 US Public Health Service Guidelines recommend a 28-day course of a three-drug antiretroviral regimen for PEP when indicated.
Who should care
- Owner
- Staff
Read the original
CareQuest Institute
Full reporting and any paywalled content live on carequest.org. We summarize and score; we do not republish.