Dr. Molinari addresses TB Testing for the Dental Office.

TB SCREENING FOR DENTAL OFFICES

On June 30, 2015, OSHA published updated inspection procedures of heath care facilities concerning personnel exposures to tuberculosis. Earlier CDC guidelines were published in 1994 and 2005 calling for facilities to conduct their own inspections related to occupational exposure and risk assessment for TB, followed by development of a TB infection control plan. This includes annual TB skin testing for all personnel who have the potential for exposure to persons with infectious TB. While both the 2015 OSHA compliance document and the current ADA write-up include baseline testing for all new employees, they also mention that annual TB screening is not necessary in “low-risk settings” unless an exposure to M.. tuberculosis occurs. Many dental practices fall into the “low-risk” category, but the initial assessment must still be shown to have been done, along with initial TB screening.