Infection Control · patient case question
Which of the following is an example of elimination, the most effective control?
Patient case: Preparing the practice
demo: New associate dentist
chief: Reviewing the practice infection control and emergency protocols before starting clinical work.
history: The practice is updating its exposure control plan and its written office emergency procedures.
meds: Not applicable.
findings: The office manager asks a series of questions about immunisation, sterilisation monitoring, waste handling and the hierarchy of hazard controls.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Vaccination of staff against a specific pathogen
- A. Correct as this question is keyed. Vaccination removes susceptibility to the specific pathogen entirely, so for that organism the hazard ceases to exist for the vaccinated person. It requires no ongoing compliance once complete.
- B. A rubber dam is an engineering control; it physically isolates the operative field and substantially reduces aerosol.
- C. Pre-appointment screening is an administrative control, a policy about who is seen and when.
- D. A face shield is PPE, the least effective tier.
Note: Strictly, classic occupational hygiene places vaccination among administrative or health-based controls, since elimination normally means physically removing the hazard from the workplace. Dental infection control sources commonly teach it as elimination because it eliminates host susceptibility, and that is the keyed answer here. Worth knowing both framings.
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