Have Our Sterility Practices Kept Up With the Tremendous Advances in Sedation and Surgical Techniques?

The vast majority of the readers of Anesthesia Progress provide sedation and general anesthesia in the office-based setting. The main exception would be doctors who provide general anesthesia in hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In hospitals and accredited ASCs, regular inspections by accreditation agencies help ensure that the most current safety practices, including infection control measures and prevention of needlestick injuries, are implemented. In the private office setting, however, there is little outside oversight of infection control, except perhaps a dental board inspection if a complaint is raised. It is incumbent upon the owner-dentist to research and implement the most up-to-date infection control practices. Many states require infection control training as part of the continuing education requirement for license renewal. However, I have never seen issues of infection control regarding intravenous (IV) sedation or general anesthesia discussed in these required “dental” courses