Strengthening Infection Prevention, Control and Decreasing Antibiotic Use In Dental Care - The American Dental Association (ADA) is seeking to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve how dental practices across the United States prevent infectious diseases and support antibiotic stewardship thereby reducing healthcare-associated infections. Dental care is an essential part of the healthcare system, with about 250 million patient visits each year. During dental treatment, both patients and providers can be exposed to pathogens through blood, saliva, dental unit waterlines, and airborne particles. National guidelines promulgated by the CDC provide the basis for infection prevention and control in dentistry and are referenced in state statutes and regulatory frameworks in most states. Updating these guidelines based on gold standard science is of paramount importance to ensure that dental care remains safe. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health threat resulting in opportunistic healthcare-associated infections. Dentists prescribe roughly 10% of all outpatient antibiotics, and research shows that gaps remain in dentists’ knowledge of emerging clinical practice guidelines that emphasize limiting antibiotic prescriptions. Improving how antibiotics are used in dental care can help slow down the spread of resistant infections and protect the effectiveness of these important medications. Through this cooperative agreement, the ADA will lead a national effort to strengthen infection prevention and control and improve antibiotic stewardship in dental settings. The project will focus on three main areas: 1. Building a Strong National Support System The ADA will create a coordinated system to help dental practices put CDC supported recommendations into action. This includes helping the agency update guidelines based on the latest gold standard science in a manner that is responsive to real world practice, while developing practical tools, providing training, and creating ways to track progress and identify gaps. The goal is to establish the infrastructure to ensure that dental teams across the country can consistently follow best practices and respond quickly to new health threats, including emerging and re-emerging infections. 2. Supporting Adoption of Proven Safety Guidelines to Prevent and Control Infectious Diseases The ADA will work with CDC, state boards of dentistry, educators, dental specialty organizations, academic institutions, allied team members, and public health partners to ensure that CDC guidelines (“Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings: Published in 2003) are up to date, practical and responsive to everyday practice of dentistry, and quickly implemented into practice. This will help protect patients and providers nationwide by making infection prevention and control guidelines more consistently adopted across dental practices. 3. Improving Antibiotic Stewardship and Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections The ADA will expand education, share evidence-based guidance, and support dental professionals with their clinical decision making to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and lower the risk of healthcare-associated infections. With more than 165 years of advancing dentistry, the ADA is uniquely positioned to lead this important public health effort thanks to its national reach and strong partnerships with state-level dental organizations, allied team members, educators, regulators, specialty societies and public health organizations. By working together, this initiative will strengthen the dental profession’s role in protecting public health. Ultimately, this project will help ensure safe dental care, better preparedness for emerging health threats, and more responsible use of antibiotics, benefiting patients, providers, and communities across the country.
