Health Care Department Operations Manual

Cancel

Chapter 3 – Health Care Operations

Article 3.3 – Dental Care: Health and Safety

View All Sections >

3.3.3.2 Control of Dental Instruments and Sharps

  • Policy

    • All California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) dental staff shall maintain control of and provide accountability for dental instruments, sharps and other equipment items that pose a threat to persons or to the security of the institution.

  • Purpose

    • To establish guidelines and procedures that will ensure that all CDCR dental staff maintains proper control of and accountability for dental instruments.

  • Procedure

    • CDCR dentists shall be held accountable for and maintain an ongoing inventory of all instruments, tools and dental sharps in the dental clinics. Dental sharps are defined as needles, scalpels, and wires.

    • When not in use, all dental instruments, syringes, tools and sharps shall be kept in secured cabinets in the dental operatory or other secure storage area in each dental facility.

    • An inventory sheet of the instruments, syringes, tools or sharps in the cabinet shall be listed on the Tool Control Inventory Report form and posted in each cabinet.

    • Dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants shall work in partnership to count all dental instruments, syringes, tools, and sharps at the beginning and end of each work shift, and before and after any midday break in which all dental staff leave the clinic. 

    • Dental staff shall document the count on the Tool Control Inventory Report form by initialing the date and the watch on which the counts were performed. A legend shall be present on the Tool Control Inventory Report with each dental staff member providing documentation showing their name and corresponding initials.

    • A visual accounting of dental instruments and sharps shall be completed before and after each dental treatment, (e.g., prior to dismissing the patient).

    • Dental instruments and tools shall not be engraved or have their surfaces altered in any way that may compromise the ability to be effectively sterilized. All other associated safety and security requirements of Department Operations Manual (DOM), Section 52040.5 and local institution policy shall be followed.

    • In the dental laboratories and dental clinics, incarcerated workers shall only have access to dental equipment, instruments, or tools as outlined in the Health Care Department Operations Manual, Section 3.3.4.8, Incarcerated Dental Workers.

    • All damaged, broken, or worn instruments, including digital radiographic sensors, shall be disposed of according to the institution’s Local Operating Procedures (LOP) and reported to the Dental Health Program Manager (DHPM) III, Supervising Dentist (SD) and the Supervising Dentist Assistant (SDA) for inventory control and re-order purposes. The disposition of such instruments or tools shall be noted appropriately on the tool inventory sheet and in accordance with each institution’s LOP.

    • Tool inventory reports shall be routed in accordance with the institution’s tool control operational procedures by the Office Technician (OT) or designated dental staff.

    • Tool inventory reports shall be maintained on file for three years by the OT or designated dental staff.

    • The loss of any instrument or tool shall be immediately reported to the DHPM III, SD, SDA and the Watch Commander at the facility. The DHPM III, SD and SDA shall follow the institution’s LOP and shall ensure that, after a thorough search of the dental facility has been conducted, a “Lost Tool Report” is prepared and hand carried to the Watch Commander by the dental staff member reporting the lost or missing tool.

    • The SD and SDA shall be responsible for ensuring that dental impression materials and waxes are stored in a secure location and never left unattended while in use.

  • Revision History

    • Effective: 04/2006
      Revised: 11/2017, 11/2020, 02/2022, 10/09/2024