#23 in a series

Practicing proper infection control procedures is the responsibility of every student, staff and faculty member with clinical responsibilities. With the fast-paced nature of the clinical environment, it is sometimes easy to overlook basic infection control policies. To help raise awareness about these issues, we've created this series of infection control reminders and pointers. For questions about infection control policies or more information, contact the School of Dentistry's Director of Health and Safety, Dr. Molly Newlon at: newlonm@dentistry.ucsf.edu.

Carpeting is a warm and welcoming home to microorganisms!

• Diverse populations of microorganisms thrive in carpeting.
  
  
• There is no way to reliably disinfect carpet, especially after blood spills.
  
  
• Cloth chair coverings also house microorganisms and should not be in places such as the dental operatory, lab, and instrument processing area.
  
  
• Smooth, non-porous, easy-to-clean flooring and furniture coverings are the best choice to insure reliable cleaning of surfaces.
  
  

Best regards,

Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc

Dean