Swine flu can affect the dental office just as easily as anywhere else. With information obtained from the CDA website (below), we have come up with some suggestions and best practices for preventing the spread of H1N1 in the dental office.  Respiratory cough etiquette, along with disinfectant precautions, are currently recommended for preventing the transmission of swine flu in a dental health care setting. CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of H1N1 have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico and Canada. Using medical grade disinfectant sprays, such as DCA disinfectant spray, will kill H1N1 Swine Flu, MRSA, TB, HPV, HIV-1 (AIDS Virus) and more.  The spray is also safe for all areas of your practice – the exam room, all hard surfaces, tools and instruments, and all patient care rooms.  Below, is more information on suppressing H1N1 Swine Flu in the dental and orthodontic setting.

What should I do if a patient is present for a routine checkup, and has respiratory symptoms?

If the dentist suspects the illness could be due to swine flu (fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting are all symptoms), elective dental treatment should be stalled and the patient should be instructed to contact their health care provider. The health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is necessary. Be sure to sterilize and disinfect any instrument or surface touched by the patient with a proper grade disinfectant spray.

How would you handle a situation where the patient has symptoms, but requires urgent dental care?

If necessary dental care is required and the swine flu virus has either been confirmed or suspected, the care should be provided in a facility (hospital with dental care capabilities) that provides airborne infection isolation (airborne infection isolation rooms with negative pressure air handling).

For aerosol-generating procedures, use a procedure room with negative pressure air handling. Personnel providing direct patient care for suspected or confirmed swine influenza A (H1N1) cases should wear a fit-tested disposable 3M N95 mask (respirator masks) when entering the patient room and when performing dental procedures. Respirator use should be in the context of a complete respiratory protection program, in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

What if someone of your staff reports to work with acute respiratory symptoms?

Staff experiencing influenza-like-illness (fever with cough or sore throat) should not report to work.   Staff who experience these symptoms and wish to seek medical care should contact their healthcare provider to report the illness before seeking care at a clinic, physician’s office, or hospital. Workers who were not using appropriate personal protective equipment during close contact with a confirmed, probable, or suspect case of swine flu (H1N1) virus infection during the case’s infectious period should receive chemoprophylaxis according to CDC guidance.  Finally, employees who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or are believed to be severely ill, should seek immediate medical attention.

With the proper preventative measures, issues surrounding swine flu and H1N1 infection can be controlled.  Using proper cough etiquette, n95 masks (one of the best swine flu masks), and high grade disinfectant sprays, can go a long way in preventing the spread of H1N1 swine flu in the dental setting.  If you are a dentist or work in a dental office, it might even make sense to get a swine flu vaccine for further prevention.  Read more about our high grade DCA Disinfectant Spray, and sterilizing Disinfectant Wipes.  At this point, a high grade disinfectant cleaner or hospital disinfectant might be your best bet for protection against H1N1.  You might also want to look into the DCA Disinfectant Ear Loop Mask.

In an article taken from the Daily Pilot, we learn that the H1N1 virus is starting to effect schools across the United States.  The swine flu virus can be protected against with the help of 3M N95 Maks.  However, if you’d rather not use a surgical mask, you should look into DCA’s Disinfectant Spray.  Our line of Disinfectant Sprays can be used to kill the H1N1 flu and a number of other viruses.  Use the disinfectant on dental instruments, medical supplies, surgical tools, and on any hard surface.  For more on H1N1 and its effect on US schools, read on…

As the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu, begins to affect area schools, administrators and teachers are trying to get the word out on how to stop the flu from spreading.

Twenty UC Irvine students have contracted swine flu since Sept. 1.

As of Tuesday, two schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District — College Park Elementary in Costa Mesa and Lincoln Elementary in Corona del Mar — have seen more than 10% of their students call in absent since late last week. However, school and district officials Tuesday couldn’t say for sure whether an H1N1 outbreak was the cause of the high number of absences.

At College Park, 13 out of 18 students in one second-grade class either called in sick or were sent home sick. Forty-eight students school-wide were out sick Friday.

For College Park Principal Julie McCormick, fears of such an outbreak have hit her personally; her daughter, a Corona del Mar High School student, was diagnosed with swine flu Tuesday.

“She’s doing fine,” McCormick said. “And the second-grade class is recovering. We’re very, very cautious about sending them back before they’re completely well. There’s no reason to risk relapse. People’s health is what matters most.”

McCormick said teachers and staff are emphasizing clean habits like washing hands frequently, and no touching above the neck.

School representatives called every parent to calm them down and talk about the situation in their native language, McCormick said; 65% of College Park parents speak Spanish. Letters went home in English and Spanish; the latter version was crafted Monday by the district’s translator.

PTA President Michelle Pommier “cleaned out the shelves at Target” to buy large bottles of hand sanitizer for every classroom, she said.

And the district sent three maintenance and operations workers to College Park Friday to sterilize every door handle, counter top, faucet and desktop, McCormick said.

Both students and staff have contracted swine flu this school year, but exact numbers are unavailable, district spokeswoman Laura Boss said. There have been no reports in the district of fatalities or severe illnesses, she said.

“This is an issue that affects us all, so we feel strongly about keeping our schools and public informed,” Boss said. “Every appropriate precaution advised by the OC Health Care Agency is being followed.”

At this time, the district is not planning to shut down schools, Boss said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta does not recommend that schools close during outbreaks, except as a last resort.

In the case of either a 10% overall absence rate or a 20% within-class absence rate, a school nurse is required to contact the County of Orange Health Care Agency to discuss how to proceed, the district said. The district also is notified; it has a team in place that represents health services, communications, human resources, emergency planning and administration, Boss said.

The school also sends a letter home to parents that details symptoms to watch for, high-risk groups, and tips to prevent the flu’s spread. College Park parents whose children were in the affected second-grade class received letters Friday; all other students were sent home Monday with letters. Lincoln Elementary students took letters home Tuesday.

Students or staff who appear to have a fever or other flu symptoms will be sent home and asked not to return until they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medicines like acetaminophen, Boss said.

The district also recommends that students and staff who develop flu symptoms, such as fever with a cough or a sore throat, stay home and follow the same procedure.

The district has its own swine flu information center at nmusd.ca.schoolloop.com/swineflu.

Sick anteaters

UC Irvine has developed similar protocols for its own sick students.

“As of Sept. 1, the UCI Student Health Center has confirmed 20 students as having H1N1 this quarter. From April to September, there have been 76 cases on campus,” said Tom Vasich, UCI’s assistant director of health services. More than 25,000 students attend the school.

The university is unable to confirm how many students have the virus; all information to date is anecdotal, Vasich said, but the university’s human resources department is collecting data.

Student Health Center representatives say that the H1N1 flu symptoms reported to date have been mild.

UCI dorm residents use a door hanger to indicate that they’re sick, Vasich said. Students on campus are encouraged to stay isolated in their rooms while they recover. Those with roommates are either transferred to an empty room, or the roommate is relocated while the sick student recovers. The sick students are monitored and given instructions for self-care, Vasich said.

The first week of school was Flu Prevention Week, and students and staff are sent campuswide e-mails alerting any news.

“We are telling people, ‘If you feel like you’re getting the flu, go home.’ And practice good hygiene — cover that cough, wash those hands,” Vasich said.

A large-scale vaccination program is in the works at UCI for those on the CDC’s priority list. The vaccine is expected later this month.

Just the facts

Swine flu, like other influenza viruses, is spread person-to-person through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms can include fever, cough, a sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue, the district said. Vomiting or diarrhea also may occur. The majority of people who contract swine flu — as in any type of influenza — only develop a mild to moderate form of the disease, and feel better within three to five days.

High-risk groups include pregnant women; those with chronic health conditions like asthma, heart or metabolic diseases or a suppressed immune system; those younger than 5, particularly infants; and those 65 and older. If high-risk individuals develop flu symptoms, experts recommend that they call their doctor and consider antiviral medications.

Many pediatricians and doctors aren’t offering tests to diagnose swine flu, due to its ubiquity.

The virus survives only two to eight hours outside the human body, county health officials said, and is not difficult to kill. Specialty cleaning products and vigorous scrubbing are not required.

The H1N1 flu vaccine is expected to be available later to this month. To see if flu vaccines are available, call your doctor or the Orange County Health Care Agency Health Referral Line at (800) 564-8448, or visit ochealthinfo.com.

How To Prevent Spreading Germs

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If no tissue is available, cough into your elbow.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

• If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

• Do not share personal items such as towels or utensils.

• Routinely clean items or surfaces that are frequently touched (use your normal cleaning products).

Source: Newport-Mesa Unified

Get the DCA Disinfectant Ear Loop Mask.

As a dentist or orthodontist, it is important to be aware of the H1N1 virus and the dangers it can carry.  Using the proper type of mask can help to stop the spread of swine flu and also keep you and your patient’s healthier long term.  The following article will explain N95 masks and their role in slowing the swine flu epidemic.

How serious is the risk of the H1N1 swine flu? The H1N1 Virus, also known as “Swine Flu,” has already claimed the lives of some United States citizens.  Many in Mexico have been killed by the swine flu virus, as well, and the infection rates continue rise up each and every day.  How can you protect yourself from the H1N1 virus this cold season?  Many believe that an N95 mask can offer a viable shield.

There are many types of masks available that do not protect against the H1N1 flu.  Some surgical, isolation, and dental masks offer no protection from the swine flu pandemic.  In August of 2009, the CDC in collaboration with the WHO released a statement that suggested the N95 mask could be used as valid protection against the H1N1 Swine Flu Virus.

A 3M N95 mask is technically an n95 particulate respirator mask.  The N95 respirator mask is designed to provide protection from body fluid and blood penetration.  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health agrees with the above statement, as they also believe that the N95 masks works effectively against Swine Flu.  The N95 mask, when properly used, can filter germs from the breath and put a halt to the spread of the H1N1 virus.

According to information released by UCLA, N95 is made by various manufacturers under different names (the 3M N95 being one of many).  The “N95″ is a simple government efficiency rating indicating that the mask blocks just about 95% of all particles that are at least .3 microns in size.

When using a 3M N95 Respirator Mask, or any N95 masks, certain guidelines should be followed.  First off, the mask should be removed and discarded immediately if it becomes physically damaged.  Second, masks should be disposed of as “bio hazard” waste and the user should always wash their hands immediately upon disposal.  Masks are only effective if they fit properly and are worn according to instructions.  While wearing an N95 respirator mask, be sure to avoid touching the eyes and nose, also, as these can be quick routes to infection.

The N95 disposable mask comes in five different models and several designs.  The earloop facemask design offers a standard tie on surgical mask.  The N95 surgical dust mask helps to protect from not only germs and birdflu, but also airborne dust particles.  The N95 disposable filter mask is has an activated carbon filter, and can also protect against airborne allergens.  Finally, the 3M N95 Surgical Mask, perhaps the best of the bunch, has a flat fold three panel design which offers a most comfortable fit.  This mask can be used during surgery to help protect against airborne particulates.

Whichever N95 mask you decide on, it is important to follow instructions and insure that the fit is proper.  Even with a swine flu vaccine, the swine flu virus must be avoided proactively, and the n95 particulate mask might just be the best option.  It should be noted that Sklar Disinfectant Spray is another viable option for killing H1N1.  Also, try the DCA Disinfectant Ear Loop Mask on for size.