Watch On Demand: Respiratory Protection in the Era of COVID-19
One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is the reality that dentistry must reassess what levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) are appropriate for different procedures. This could mean that some practices will be using N95, or N95 equivalent, respirators for the first time. In this webinar from April 24, 2020, Eve Cuny and Kathy Eklund, experts from the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP) discuss:
- Steps to introduce the use of N95 and other respirators in dental settings
- Practical tips for developing the OSHA respiratory protection program, including fit-testing, medical evaluation and training
- Different levels of surgical masks and how they compare to N95 respirators
- Proper steps for donning and doffing of all PPE
Reference these resources cited in the webinar.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidance
Read the CDC’s “Guidance for Providing Dental Care During COVID-19.”
Read latest guidance
Donning and Doffing Instructions
Review the CDC’s sequence for putting on and removing personal protective equipment (PPE).
Download the PDF
Respirator Trusted Source Information
Get information on respirator types, how to identify approved models and a listing of all NIOSH-approved and FDA-cleared surgical N95 respirators.
Access respirator resource
FDA List of Authorized Respirators
Get information on manufacturer, models and country of manufacture in this list from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Download list
Optimizing PPE Supply
Read the Centers for Disease Control’s strategies to optimize the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Get the strategies
N95 Respirator Extended Use and Limited Reuse Guidelines
Get recommended practices for extended use and limited reuse of NIOSH-certified N95 filtering facepiece respirators (commonly called “N95 respirators”).
Read the recommendations
OSHA Enforcement Guidance
Read the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Enforcement Guidance for Respiratory Protection and the N95 Shortage Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.”
Get information
Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit
Though designed for hospitals, the information in this resource from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may be useful for your practice.
Get started
NIOSH Respirator Resource
Get an overview of recommendations for respirator use from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Learn more about respirators
AAOHN Respiratory Protection Program
Access free training modules developed for healthcare workers by the America Association of Occupational Health Nurses.
Start them here
Presenters:
Eve Cuny, MS
Eve Cuny is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Associate Professor at University of the Pacific, Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, California. Professor Cuny is a member of the National Occupational Research Agenda Council. She has lectured and published extensively on the subject of infection control and patient safety, and has worked globally with government agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations to develop best practices in infection control. Professor Cuny is a member of the board of directors of the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP).
Kathy Eklund, RDH, MHP
Kathy Eklund, RDH MHP, is the Director of Occupational Health and Safety, and the Forsyth Research Subject and Patient Safety Advocate at The Forsyth Institute. She is adjunct faculty at Regis College, Dental Hygiene Program where she teaches a senior level course , Evidence-Based Decision Making. Ms. Eklund serves as faculty for the New England AIDS Education and Training Center and HIVdent.org, is a Consultant to the ADA Council on Dental Practice and was the 2017-2019 Chair of the Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP) Board of Directors.
The ADA is committed to helping the dental community navigate this unprecedented crisis. Please visit ADA.org/virus for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 from the ADA.