PDBNS Standard of Practice for Infection Control and Prevention (IPAC)

Today the PDBNS Standard of Practice for Infection Control and Prevention (IPAC) comes into effect. It aligns with the Standard of Practice adopted by the other Nova Scotia oral health regulators.

During recent Dental Practice Review office visits it has been clear that most offices have been working diligently toward compliance with the Standard. We realize that there are supply issues which may be delaying achieving compliance in some cases, but offices are expected to be compliant as soon as possible.

One area that merits clarification is around sterilizer monitoring and the need to quarantine instruments. A flow chart and set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) have been developed and can be accessed at this link.

The NSDA has developed an on-demand, online 30-minute presentation on the new IPAC Standard which is available to any individual at no cost. Following the completion of the presentation, you will be able to complete a brief quiz and print a certificate for CE credit.  As Dr. Romard mentions early in the presentation, this is the NSDA’s interpretation of key points and noteworthy changes and is intended to be helpful but not comprehensive. OHCPs are to review and be familiar with the entire IPAC document. The NSDA presentation can be accessed at this link. Appreciation goes to Dr. Romard for her work on this.

Sedation Facility Permits (effective April 1, 2023)

All private practice dental offices in which nitrous oxide and/or parenteral moderate or deep sedation and/or general anesthesia sedation is used will be required to have a Facility Sedation Permit effective April 1, 2023. The annual fee will be $150 for offices using nitrous oxide sedation only and $300 for offices employing deeper sedation modalities. These fees will be used to support routine inspections by the Sedation Inspection Team.

Included in the permitting process registrants will find a self-assessment form to be completed with a checklist of criteria of facility requirements. Each facility will be required to designate one dentist as the primary contact for its Facility Sedation Permit.

Emails regarding this process will be sent to dentists who provide sedation (other than oral sedation only) within the next two weeks.

Communications from the PDBNS

Thankfully the need for the PDBNS to frequently communicate with registrants has lessened compared to earlier in the pandemic. However there continues to be periodic messaging which is important and timely for registrants. Mass emails from the PDBNS (such as this one) are currently sent through Mailchimp, a platform which facilitates sending to a large number of recipients but may be flagged as “Spam” by some email hosting services. You are asked to periodically check your “Junk” or “Spam” folders to ensure that important emails are not being missed.

As well, it is important that you inform us if your email or other contact information changes.

Sincerely,
Dr. Doug Mackey, DDS
Registrar