Barrier wraps might not get a lot of attention, but they play a crucial role in maintaining infection control in dental settings. If you’ve ever considered skipping them, or if team members aren’t fully sold on their benefits, here’s a clear look at why barrier wraps are indispensable for keeping your practice safe and compliant.
Why Barrier Wraps Are Necessary in Dental Infection Control
Barrier wraps are designed to cover high-contact surfaces and areas that are difficult to disinfect thoroughly, such as buttons, valves, and docking stations. Following CDC guidelines, these wraps protect spots where bacteria, saliva, and other contaminants could build up if left unchecked. By covering these surfaces, barrier wraps help reduce the time and effort needed for cleaning, while maintaining high infection control standards.
A properly removed barrier wrap ensures the surface underneath remains uncontaminated, which minimizes the need for additional disinfection steps.
Addressing Common Objections to Barrier Wraps
Sometimes, team members hesitate to use barrier wraps for a few reasons. Here’s a breakdown of common objections and why they’re worth reconsidering:
Concern about plastic waste: While barrier wraps do involve disposable plastic, their role in protecting patients and staff makes them worth using. When used thoughtfully on high-risk areas, barrier wraps are a small addition to waste that bring substantial benefits for infection control.
Uncertainty about surface cleaning: Many people think surfaces under barrier wraps still need to be wiped down. However, if the barrier was intact and removed without contamination, there’s no need to disinfect the surface beneath it. The barrier has done its job and kept that area clean.
Worry about barriers slipping: Occasionally, barrier wraps shift on air/water syringe tips or other parts, which can leave certain areas exposed. Still, the main benefit of barrier wraps is protecting the difficult-to-clean crevices, buttons, and levers. These areas are more prone to accumulating contaminants, while exposed areas can be cleaned quickly.
High-Contact Areas to Wrap for Extra Protection
Some equipment surfaces are consistently more challenging to keep clean. Using barrier wraps on these can be a reliable step toward better infection control:
Air/Water Syringe Buttons and Tips: These are frequently handled, increasing contamination risk.
Suction Valves: These areas have small parts that are tough to disinfect thoroughly, making barrier wraps particularly helpful.
Docking Stations for Handpieces: The switches, levers, and grooves on docking stations make cleaning difficult, so barrier wraps are effective here as well.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Consistency
Incorporating barrier wraps into your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ensures that everyone on the team knows when and where to use them. Clear SOPs reduce ambiguity, prevent cross-contamination, and help streamline processes, especially in busy practices. If your team could benefit from further guidance, our Infection Control Coordinator’s Guidebook offers CDC-aligned protocols, checklists, and practical tools to help. For a deeper dive into infection control protocols, our Beyond the Basics course for Infection Control Coordinators (ICCs) provides in-depth training to support consistent and effective practices.
Summary
Barrier wraps play a critical role in keeping your dental office safe, clean, and compliant with CDC infection control guidelines. They protect hard-to-clean surfaces, save time, and support high infection control standards by reducing the potential for contamination in challenging areas. If you haven’t incorporated barrier wraps fully into your routine, now is a great time to take this important step for infection control.
If you’d like to know more about setting up effective protocols or resources for your team, we’re here to help with training and support tailored to ICCs and dental professionals.
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