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| CALL TO ACTION Mandatory Infection Control Education June 1, 2020 The American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) recognizes that mandatory education standards in infection control do not exist nationally for dental assistants. This means that someone with no background and knowledge in dentistry and infection control could be working in the dental office, participating in patient treatment, and all facets of infection control. The coronavirus pandemic has magnified the importance of this issue and the need for education prior to being responsible for infection control in a dental setting. ADAA issues a Call to Action to implement mandatory infection control education for the oral healthcare team to include Core Competencies, Learning Objectives, and Curriculum Elements as recommended by ADAA; the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB); the Dental Advancement through Learning and Education Foundation (DALE); and the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) as well as Clinical Performance Evaluations. We have prepared a sample letter for you to take a few moments to personalize and send to your government officials to help us implement these changes. You will need to add the date, the contact person name, and address, and your name and signature with your credentials and contact information to each letter you send. Please send this letter to your federal and state legislators, local/state health departments, state dental boards, city/county mayor, and any other regulatory agency you feel is appropriate as well. You may determine who your federal and/or state legislators are by going to https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. Your state regulatory boards refer to the state dental board or other boards regulating your practice. We have worked diligently to keep dental assistants informed and provide the most current information available on our ADAA website by sharing pertinent information available to us. The ADAA works for the safety, health, and protection for all dental patients as well as the oral health care team and advocates that infection control laws, regulations, guidelines, and best practices be mandated through government regulations. It is only through your actions that mandatory infection control education can be successfully enacted for the protection of all members of the oral healthcare team and the public whom we serve. Let us know whom you have contacted by sending the names to legislation@adaausa.org. Please let us know if you have any questions. Visit Our Website ADAA | 877-874-3785 | www.adaausa.org |