Infection Prevention & Control Manual 2026

The most comprehensive infection prevention and control manual available for Australian dental practices — 74 pages, 18 sections, fully editable, and aligned with the ADA Guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control 5th Edition (2026) and AS/NZS 5369:2023 including Amendment 1.

Written specifically for Australian dental practice owners, practice managers, and clinical teams who need a complete, practice-ready infection control system they can implement immediately. Every section reflects the real clinical environment of a dental practice — from hand hygiene and PPE to steriliser validation, waterline management, and needle stick protocols.

This is not a generic infection control template. It is built for dentistry, aligned with the current standards, and ready to customise with your practice name and specific details.

✔ Fully editable Microsoft Word format
✔ 74 pages — 18 complete sections
✔ Aligned with ADA Guidelines 5th Edition (2026) and AS/NZS 5369:2023 including Amendment 1
✔ Replaces the previous AS/NZS 4815:2006 standard throughout
✔ Instant digital download
✔ Single-practice licence

What's Included:

Section A — About This Manual
Purpose, how to use, regulatory framework, and annual review record. Aligned with ADA 5th Ed (2026), AS/NZS 5369:2023, Dental Board of Australia, and NHMRC guidelines.

Section B — Infection Control Fundamentals
Modes of transmission (contact, droplet, airborne), microorganisms of concern (HBV, HCV, HIV, COVID-19, MRSA, CJD prions), legislative framework, and duty of care for registered and non-registered staff.

Section C — Standard Precautions
Complete standard precautions policy, transmission-based precautions, and a 13-item infection control compliance checklist covering all key requirements.

Section D — Hand Hygiene
5 Moments of Hand Hygiene, ABHR technique, hand washing technique, surgical hand preparation, personal hygiene requirements, jewellery and artificial nail policy.

Section E — Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Gloves (types, technique, latex allergy management), masks (TGA-approved, AS 4381), eye protection, clinical uniforms, and footwear requirements.

Section F — Practice Environment
Clean zone vs contaminated zone, practice design considerations, ventilation requirements (minimum 6 air changes per hour), and dental unit waterline (DUWL) management — updated for ADA 5th Edition (2026).

Section G — Environmental Cleaning
Between-patient cleaning, barrier wrap protocols, cleaning schedules, and disinfection procedures for clinical surfaces.

Section H — Instrument Reprocessing
Full instrument reprocessing workflow — pre-cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, rinsing, inspection, packaging, and sterilisation. Covers all instrument classifications (critical, semi-critical, non-critical).

Section I — Steam Sterilisation
Steriliser types (Class B pre-vacuum and Class S downward displacement), cycle parameters, loading principles, unloading and inspection, and sterile instrument storage.

Section J — Single-Use Items & Handpiece Management
Single-use item policy, handpiece cleaning and lubrication protocol, handpiece sterilisation, bur management (stainless steel, diamond, surgical, implant drills), and matrix band/endodontic file guidance.

Section K — Steriliser Testing & Validation
Daily, weekly, and annual monitoring requirements. Chemical indicators (Class 1–6), biological indicators, Bowie-Dick/vacuum test, annual Performance Qualification (PQ). Sterilisation Monitoring Log included.

Section L — Specific Clinical Procedures
Infection control protocols for restorative procedures, oral surgery, endodontics (including NiTi file reprocessing), radiographs (film and digital), and suction unit management.

Sections M–R — Additional Policies & Procedures covering:
• Sharps Safety & Needle stick Protocol (immediate response, post-exposure management, incident register)
• Waste Management (clinical, sharps, amalgam, pharmaceutical, general waste — state/territory compliant)
• Immunisation Policy (Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Varicella, dTpa, COVID-19 — with staff vaccination register)
• CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) Protocol
• Infection Control Training & Induction
• Annual Infection Control Audit Checklist