Best Practices for Personal Protective Equipment

DHCP should wear long-sleeved disposable or reusable gowns or lab coats that cover skin and personal clothing likely to become soiled with blood, saliva, or infectious material—for example, when spatter and spray of blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious material to the forearms might occur.

DHCP should change protective clothing when it becomes visibly soiled or as soon as feasible if penetrated by blood or other potentially infectious fluids.

DHCP should wear a surgical mask that covers both the nose and mouth, and protective eyewear with solid side shields or a face shield during procedures or patient care activities likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood or body fluids.

The mask’s outer surface can become contaminated with infectious droplets from spray of oral fluids or from touching the mask with contaminated fingers. Because of this, the mask should be changed between patients or if it becomes wet during patient treatment.

Gloves should always be worn when contact with blood, saliva, or mucous membranes is possible.

A new pair of gloves should be used for each patient. If the integrity of a glove is compromised by tears, cuts, or punctures, it should be changed as soon as possible. Gloves should be removed after patient care and hands should be immediately washed.

Patient examination or surgical gloves should not be washed before use. Disposable gloves should not be reused.

No. Gloves may have small defects that are hard to see or may be torn during use, and hands can become contaminated during removal of gloves. In addition, bacteria can multiply rapidly in moist environments underneath gloves; thus, dental health care personnel should make sure hands are dry before putting on gloves. Hand hygiene should be performed immediately before putting on and after removing gloves.

The type of glove used should be based on the type of procedure to be performed (e.g., surgical vs. nonsurgical, housekeeping procedures). Medical-grade nonsterile examination gloves and sterile surgical gloves are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as medical devices. Sterile surgical gloves must meet FDA standards for sterility assurance and are less likely than nonsterile examination gloves to harbor pathogens that may contaminate an operative wound. General purpose utility gloves are not regulated by FDA because they are not promoted for medical use.

Modified from Miller CH and Palenik CJ (2010).

FDA notes that "[d]isposable PPE is designed to be used only one time and by one person; it cannot be washed. Washing PPE changes its protective or barrier capabilities, and it may no longer be effective."

No. General work clothes (e.g., uniforms, scrubs, pants, and shirts) are neither intended to protect against a hazard nor are they considered PPE.

The majority of soiled items in dental offices are general medical waste. Examples include used gloves, masks, gowns, and lightly soiled gauze or cotton rolls. Non-regulated medical waste can be disposed of with ordinary waste.