Dentists Act 1989 - Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards) Regulation 2000 (2000-653) [GG No 148 of 17.11.2000, p 11769] (NSW)

2000 No 653

Dentists (General) Amendment New South Wales

(Infection Control Standards)

Regulation 2000

under the

Dentists Act 1989

His Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, has made the following Regulation under the Dentists Act 1989.

CRAIG KNOWLES, M.P.,

Minister for Health

Explanatory note
The object of this Regulation is to make various changes to the infection control standards that apply to persons engaged in the practice of dentistry. The changes generally make the infection control standards more consistent with the infection control standards that apply to medical practitioners.

In particular, the changes permit methods of washing and sterilisation that are not currently permitted under the infection control standards, including by allowing the use of portable or benchtop sterilisers.

A dentist who sterilises an instrument or equipment using a steriliser will be regulation-making power), in particular section 67 (2) (o).

required to comply with Australian Standard AS 4187–1998.

Published in Gazette No 148 of 17 November 2000, page 11769	Page 1
[8]
2000 No 653
Clause 1	Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards) Regulation 2000

Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control
Standards) Regulation 2000

1     Name of Regulation

This Regulation is the Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection
Control Standards) Regulation 2000.

2 Amendment of Dentists (General) Regulation 1996

The Dentists (General) Regulation 1996 is amended as set out in

Schedule 1.

3 Notes

The explanatory note does not form part of this Regulation.

2000 No 653

Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards)

Regulation 2000

Amendments	Schedule 1
Schedule 1	Amendments

(Clause 2)

[1]     Schedule 2 Infection control standards

Omit “wires,” from the definition of sharps in clause 1 (1).
Insert instead “orthodontic wires, root canal therapy (or RCT) instruments,”.

[2]     Schedule 2, clause 1 (2)

Insert “engaged in the practice of dentistry” after “person” where firstly occurring.

[3]     Schedule 2, clause 3

Omit the clause. Insert instead:

3     Hand and skin cleaning

(1)	Hands must be cleaned immediately before and after any direct patient care.
(2)	Hands may be cleaned by:

(a)	using washing facilities involving water and a soap or antiseptic, or
(b)	if any of the items specified in paragraph (a) are unavailable, using non-water cleansers or antiseptics.

(3) Hands or other skin surfaces that are contaminated with a patient’s blood or other body substance must be cleaned as soon as it is practicable to clean them.

(4) The requirement to clean hands applies regardless of whether
gloves are also required to be worn.

[4]     Schedule 2, clause 5

Omit clause 5 (2) (d). Insert instead:

(d) while performing an invasive procedure, venipuncture, or a finger or heel stick.

2000 No 653

Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards)

Regulation 2000

Schedule 1 Amendments

[5]     Schedule 2, clause 5 (4)

Omit the subclause. Insert instead:

(4) Sterile gloves must be worn if the procedure involves contact with tissue that would be sterile under normal circumstances.

[6]     Schedule 2, clause 6

Omit clause 6 (3) and (4). Insert instead:

(3)	A mask must be discarded once it has been worn and it must not be used again.
(4)	In cases where protective eye wear is required to be worn, it must be worn and fitted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
(5)	Protective eye wear must be discarded once it has been worn and not used again unless it is reusable in which case it is to be cleaned in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

[7]     Schedule 2, clause 7

Insert after clause 7 (1):

(1A) The person who uses a sharp, in the practice of dentistry, is responsible for the proper management and disposal of the sharp.

[8]     Schedule 2, clause 7 (4) (b)

Omit the paragraph. Insert instead:

(b) the sheath must not be held in the fingers to recap, and

[9]     Schedule 2, clause 8

Omit clause 8 (1). Insert instead:

(1) Clinical waste must be properly packaged to protect against
potential exposure to infectious agents and to facilitate the
proper handling, storage and treatment or disposal of the waste.

2000 No 653

Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards)

Regulation 2000

Amendments Schedule 1

[10]     Schedule 2, clause 14

Insert at the end of clause 14:

(2) The prosthetic appliance or material must be cleaned and disinfected on its return from the laboratory before it is inserted into the mouth of a patient.

[11]     Schedule 2, clause 15

Omit clause 15 (3). Insert instead:

(3) The process of cleaning must involve water and mechanical or physical action (such as a washing machine or ultrasonic cleaner) and a cleaning agent.

(4) All cleaning agents must be removed from instruments and equipment by rinsing before further processing.

(5) In this clause, cleaning agent means a detergent and includes
a proteolytic enzyme substance.

[12]     Schedule 2, clause 16

Omit subclause (1). Insert instead:

(1) Any instrument or equipment that comes into contact with non- sterile tissue (other than intact skin) must be disinfected before it is used with a disinfectant specified in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, and the relevant manufacturer’s instructions must be followed.

[13]     Schedule 2, clause 17

Omit the clause. Insert instead:

17     Sterilisation of instruments and equipment

(1)	Any instrument or equipment used to enter, or that is capable of entering, tissue that would be sterile under normal circumstances must be sterilised before it is used.
(2)	All dental hand pieces must be sterilised between patients.

(3) The method of sterilisation must be compatible with the particular type of instrument or equipment.

2000 No 653

Dentists (General) Amendment (Infection Control Standards)

Regulation 2000

Schedule 1 Amendments

(4)

If a steriliser is used (whether it is a benchtop/portable steriliser or a permanently plumbed or wired steriliser), the following criteria must be met:

(a)	the relevant manufacturer’s instructions must be followed,
(b)	an ongoing monitoring program must be followed which reflects the requirements of Table 7.1 “STERILISER TESTS AND TEST FREQUENCIES”

of Australian Standard AS 4187–1998.

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