Sterilization and Compliance Basics
The instrument processing chain, monitoring and logs, waterlines, OSHA basics, and being inspection ready.
Badge you earn
- 5lessons
- 50minutes of reading
- 20check questions
- Freeno account needed
Lessons
Work through them in order. Each one ends with a knowledge check that records your progress.
The Instrument Processing Chain
How instruments are classified, the seven steps of processing, PPE at the dirty end, and where the chain actually breaks.
Start this lesson →Monitoring, Logs, and Failed Spore Tests
The three layers of sterilization monitoring, how to build a log that survives an inspection, and exactly what to do after a positive spore test.
Start this lesson →Waterlines, Surfaces, and PPE
Waterline treatment and the 500 CFU/mL standard, surface disinfection versus barriers, hand hygiene, and how PPE is actually supposed to work.
Start this lesson →OSHA Basics for the Dental Office
Bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, PPE, eyewash, training, and recordkeeping: what OSHA actually requires of a dental employer.
Start this lesson →Being Inspection Ready
The agencies that inspect dental offices, the documents they ask for, a quarterly self-audit, and what to do when someone arrives unannounced.
Start this lesson →How this course works
Work through the lessons in order. Each one ends with exercises you can do in your own office and a few short questions to check yourself. Answer the check and the lesson is recorded as done, in this browser, with no account involved.
Finish every lesson and you can print a completion record for this course. The course also counts toward the certifications, which are the larger thing: several courses plus a timed comprehensive exam, ending in a certificate whose reference code anyone can verify.
This guide is educational content and does not constitute legal, financial, tax, or clinical advice. Laws and regulations vary by state and change over time. Consult your own dental-specific attorney, CPA, and state dental board before acting.