Patients with an acute respiratory illness should be sent home or placed in a single-patient room with the door kept closed. Offer a disposable surgical mask to persons who are coughing or provide tissues and a no-touch receptacle for disposal of used tissues. The ill person should wear a surgical mask when outside of the patient room. Dental Healthcare Personnel assessing a patient with influenza like illness should wear disposable surgical facemask, non-sterile gloves, gown, and eye protection (e.g., goggles) to prevent direct skin and conjunctival exposure. Check the following web site on a regular basis as recommendations may change as additional information becomes available: cdc/swineflu/guidelines_infection_control.htm Patient and dental healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic hand wash) before and after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials. Routine cleaning and disinfection strategies used during influenza seasons can be applied to the environmental management of swine influenza. More information can be found at cdc/ncidod/dhqp/gl_environinfection.html.

This is a serious flu but with proper steps and education, dental healthcare professionals and their patients can help prevent the spread of H1N1, said Von Essen.

Source: California Dental Hygienists ™ Association