Position Summary
Patients, dentists and allied dental personnel must participate in dental treatment with minimal risk of infection. Any authority which develops infection control regulations, codes, guidelines and standards relevant to dentistry should consult the ADA to seek expert dental opinion. The ADA’s guidelines for infection prevention and control should be the primary reference for dental practitioners.
2. Position
2.1. All members of the dental team and patients must take all practical measures available to minimise the risk of disease transmission within the dental environment including vaccination in accordance with the recommendations from the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
2.2. Any authority which develops infection control regulations, codes, guidelines and/ or standards relevant to dentistry, must seek expert dental opinion from the ADA.
2.3. The techniques and routine work practices used for infection control should:
• be documented in an infection control manual;
• reduce the number of infectious agents in the dental practice environment;
• prevent or reduce the likelihood of transmission of these infectious agents from one person or item/ location to another; and
• make and maintain items and areas as free as possible from infectious agents.
2.4. Infection control regulations, codes, standards and guidelines for dental practice should be evidence based. However, where this evidence is not conclusive, then the philosophy of applying standard, common, or established practice should be adopted.
2.5. Infection Prevention and Control measures should consider the sustainability and environmental impact, with appropriate sourcing of items when feasible.
2.6. Dental Practitioners must abide by the Board’s Code of Conduct which makes reference to safe treatment and use of the self-assessment tool, and other relevant legislation, guidelines, standards and other jurisdictional public health directives.
2.7. The Board should acknowledge the "ADA Guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control” as the primary reference for dental practitioners in Australia.
2.8. Infection control standards must recognise and accommodate for the difference in risk between the hospital sector and the primary care setting.
2.9. Regulatory authorities should allow for a flexible approach for the management of risk in varying dental environments, recognising the need for risk control measures to be practicable under the national work health and safety legislation.
2.10. Where a person or entity controls the operational systems of a dental practice (including those recognised as Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking “PCBUs”), that person or entity must be accountable for ensuring those systems meet legal, professional and safety requirements.
2.11. Dental practitioners must not be placed in positions where they are exposed to regulatory or disciplinary risk for systemic failures from PCBUs that are outside of their control.
2.12. Business owners should ensure equipment is maintained and validated, staffing levels are adequate and workflows allow safe reprocessing of instruments.
Definitions
1.5. BOARD is the Dental Board of Australia.
1.6. DENTAL PRACTITIONER is a person registered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency via the Board to provide dental care.
1.7. A DENTIST is an appropriately qualified dental practitioner, registered by the Board to practise all areas of dentistry.
1.8. ALLIED DENTAL PRACTITIONER are those dental practitioners other than dentists.
3. Background
3.1 The public concern over transmissible diseases has focussed attention on infection prevention and control. Various authorities have developed guidelines to minimise the risk of infection. The Board has used such guidelines to evaluate the professional conduct of dental practitioners.
3.2. Dentistry is performed in settings ranging from hospitals, offices, mobile vans and domiciliary environments. Infection prevention and control guidelines must be adaptable, sustainable, achievable and economically feasible for these situations.
3.3. Dentistry is delivered through a shared regulatory framework in which both registered dental practitioners and the business that employ or engage them- persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs)- have distinct but complementary obligations. Practitioners are regulated under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme to provide safe, competent care, whilst PCBUs are responsible under work health and safety legislation for ensuring the clinical environment, systems, and resources enable that care to be delivered safely.
3.4. Infection prevention and control is a systems-based function and cannot be achieved by individual practitioners alone.
3.5. The Board has a Code of Conduct and infection prevention and control resources and requires dental practitioners to affirm their compliance as part of their registration renewal process.
3.6. The ADA publishes the Guidelines for Infection Control and Control and other related infection prevention and control resources. These resources were relied upon nationally by practitioners, practices, and health authorities as the authoritative, real-time source of profession-specific advice, providing practical direction for safe dental care across Australia.
4. Definition
4.1 BOARD is the Dental Board of Australia.
4.2. DENTAL PRACTITIONER is a person registered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency via the Board to provide dental care.
4.3. A DENTIST is an appropriately qualified dental practitioner, registered by the Board to practise all areas of dentistry.
4.4. ALLIED DENTAL PRACTITIONER are those dental practitioners other than dentists.
5. Last review
February 2026
6. Next review due
February 2031
This Policy Statement is linked to other Policy Statements:
5.3 Practice Ownership
5.8 Dental Acts, the National Law and Boards
5.10 Dental Practice Accreditation
6.3 Dental Health Care Workers [and Students] Infected with Blood-Borne Viruses
6.4 Management of Impaired Dental Practitioners