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Infection Control · single question

A tuberculosis-positive patient needs URGENT dental treatment. How should they be managed?

  1. Defer treatment until symptoms have fully subsided
  2. Treat with standard precautions only
  3. Defer treatment until the physician declares the patient non-infectious
  4. Treat the patient in an isolation room with airborne precautions
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Correct answer: D. Treat the patient in an isolation room with airborne precautions

  • A. Waiting for symptoms to subside is too vague — TB patients can remain infectious well after symptoms improve. The physician must declare non-infectivity.
  • B. Standard precautions alone are insufficient for airborne TB — N95 respirators and negative pressure rooms are required.
  • C. Deferring until physician declares non-infectious is correct for ELECTIVE treatment, but the question specifies URGENT — in which case treatment proceeds in an isolation room.
  • D. For URGENT treatment of an active TB patient (before confirmed non-infectious status), treatment must occur in an AIRBORNE INFECTION ISOLATION room equipped with negative pressure ventilation, and staff must use N95 respirators. This is the CDC/ADA recommendation for managing urgent dental needs in potentially infectious TB patients.

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