September Celebrated as Dental Infection Control Awareness Month

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), a growing community of clinicians, educators, policy makers, consultants and industry representatives who advocate for the Safest Dental Visit™, has designated September as Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM) to focus on the importance of infection control in dentistry. DICAM is part of a collaborative, practice-facing effort to support dental practitioners and help them communicate to patients the critical role infection control in dentistry plays in preventing the spread of disease.

DICAM provides a proactive way for practitioners to educate patients about what they are doing (often behind the scenes) to protect them. Clinicians don’t usually bring it up, and patients may be too shy to ask, so DICAM provides a neutral conversation starter for showcasing infection control and safety practices.

OSAP has created a bank of free, downloadable resources for clinicians, educators, consultants and the dental trade to use. These include a poster, patient talking points, a customizable patient letter and brochure, DICAM logos, and sample social media posts and tweets in support of DICAM. Throughout the month, OSAP also will be offering complimentary webinars for continuing education credit.

The goal of patient and provider safety remains paramount in dentistry, and infection prevention remains a critical focus. OSAP encourages the dental community to support DICAM in September. The month-long observance provides an opportunity for dental professionals to have a positive conversation with their patients on the topic of infection control.

For free downloadable resources to participate in Dental Infection Control Awareness Month, go to www.osap.org.