Presentation: Infection Control for the Dental Team

Infection prevention is the one area of dental compliance that is regulated by the Washington State Department of Health— Washington Dental Commission and required annually. Under WAC 246-817615, every practitioner must complete one hour of infection prevention standards education each year, maintain and provide training on their infection control policies — and retain documentation for five years. This course is built to meet that requirement and covers all ten subject areas the rule specifies. Attendees get a working tour of Washington's infection control rules (WAC 246-817-601 through 246817-660) as they apply chairside: standard precautions and PPE, instrument sterilization with weekly spore testing, low-speed handpiece motor sterilization, high-volume evacuation, and dental unit water quality testing — plus how these rules connect to WISHA's bloodborne pathogens standard (WAC 296823). The rules incorporate the CDC's 2003 guidelines and 2016 Summary; this session translates  them into exactly what your team needs to do and document. Attendees leave knowing their annual obligations as an employer and what is required of the Washington State infection control rules. 

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the Washington rules that govern infection prevention wherever dentistry is provided — WAC 246-817-601 through 246-817-660 — and explain how they incorporate CDC guidelines and operate alongside Washington's bloodborne pathogens standard (WAC 296-823, WISHA).
2. Apply standard precautions to prevent disease transmission and cross-contamination, including hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, and the correct use of personal protective equipment.
3. Describe Washington's sharps safety and safe injection practice requirements and the practitioner safety obligations that flow from them.
4. Explain Washington's sterilization and disinfection requirements for patient care items — including low-speed handpiece motor sterilization and weekly biological (spore) monitoring — and the five-year documentation each requires.
5. Recognize environmental infection prevention and control expectations, including high-volume evacuation to reduce aerosol and spatter contamination.
6. Apply Washington's dental unit water quality requirements — testing frequency, the 500 CFU/mL action threshold, remedial action, and the recordkeeping required under WAC 246817-660.

About our Presenter: Trish Flaig, Director of Regulatory and Compliance Strategy,  ComplyBetter. Trish Flaig leads regulatory and compliance strategy for the Washington State Dental Association and serves as the compliance architect for ComplyBetter, WSDA's online dental compliance platform. She specializes in Washington Dental Commission infection control standards (WAC 246-817-601 through 246-817-660), OSHA and WISHA requirements, and HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule compliance as they apply to dental practice settings. Drawing on nearly two decades in dentistry as a registered dental assistant and practice manager, Trish presents on infection control and regulatory updates to audiences across Washington state and works with WSDA's regulatory affairs committee.

2 CE

Registration: Please RSVP no later than noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2026

You can:

• Contact the SCDS Office at 360-419-7444
• Email at info@scdentists.org.
• Register online at

Special thanks to our Sponsors: