OSAP Boot Camp Sets Records

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), the advocate for The Safest Dental Visit™, reports that its Dental Infection Control Boot Camp™, held in Atlanta, Georgia, January 11-13, set records for attendance, speakers, and content. The annual “basic training” program covers all of the core infection prevention fundamentals for dental practitioners, but this year’s meeting featured a record 15 speakers, including 5 representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Director of the Division of Oral Health at CDC, Katherine Weno DDS, JD. Attendees were also were given a sneak peek at the new CDC Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care, which builds on the CDC Guidelines issued in 2003.

The OSAP Boot Camp featured national and international experts in infection prevention and safety. “We are very fortunate to have a stellar faculty of world-renowned infection prevention experts who will contribute their knowledge and expertise to this curriculum,” said OSAP Executive Director Therese Long. “The manufacturers and distributors also are generous supporters of the course and we recognize and thank them for their commitment to OSAP and dental safety.” One of the stand-out activities this year was “Traveling the Instrument Processing Pathway,” which provided hands-on training addressing the pre-cleaning, transport, washing, and disinfection of instruments; instrument wrapping and chemical indicators and integrators; and sterilizer loading, unloading, and monitoring.

Boot Camp is targeted to dental personnel who desire a strong foundation in infection control, infection control coordinators, educators, and compliance officers, federal service employees with infection control responsibilities, federally qualified health center personnel, consultants, and sales representatives.          

OSAP recognized and thanked the US Federal Services for supporting the course over the past 2 decades. Dr. Shannon Mills, Col USAF (RET) conceived the OSAP-Federal Services alliance in 1994. The course has evolved into a foundational course for which civilians and the military both benefit. “We greatly appreciate the expertise contributed by members of the curriculum development committee comprising Dr. David Carr, Dr. Randy Coffey, Kathy Eklund RDH MHP, Earl Fillmore BAS BSN MS, Dr. Leslie Grant, Dr. Kelli Mack, Dr. Chris Miller, Carol Oeder CDA LPN, Dr. Doug Risk and Dr. Scott Trapp,” said Long. Special recognition and thanks were given to Dr. Marie Fluent who spearheaded the entire program. Her hard work, dedication, and deep knowledge of the subject matter made a significant difference in the quality of the educational course.

Celebrating over 30 years of service to the worldwide dental community, OSAP is a growing community of clinicians, educators, students, policy-makers, and industry representatives who advocate for safe and infection-free delivery of oral healthcare. OSAP focuses on strategies to improve compliance with safe practices and on building a strong network of recognized infection control experts. OSAP offers an extensive online collection of resources, publications, FAQs, checklists and toolkits to help dental professionals ensure that every visit is The Safest Dental Visit™ for patients and the dental team. For more information, visit www.osap.org or call 800-298-OSAP (6727) or 410-571-0003.