New York's mandated infection control training for dentists

Who takes the training, and how often

The requirement is on the dentist. Every dentist must complete course work or training appropriate to their practice regarding infection control and barrier precautions (NYSED infection control training page; New York Education Law §6505-b).

The clock runs on a four-year cycle: the law set the first deadline at July 1, 1994, and calls for the course work or training again every four years after that (New York Education Law §6505-b).

The course work or training is approved by the department (New York Education Law §6505-b).

Attesting to completion at every registration

Finishing the course is one step; telling the state is the second one. You must attest to having completed this requirement to the State Education Department on your first licensure/registration application and at every subsequent registration (NYSED infection control training page).

So the attestation follows the registration cycle rather than the training date: one on the first application, one at each registration after that (NYSED infection control training page).

Monitoring the personnel you are responsible for

The dentist's own course is not the whole duty. Licensees are responsible for adequately monitoring the performance of all personnel, licensed or unlicensed, for whom they are responsible, regarding infection control techniques (New York rule 8 NYCRR 29.2(a)(13)(ix)).

Licensed or unlicensed, everyone the licensee is responsible for falls inside that duty (New York rule 8 NYCRR 29.2(a)(13)(ix)).

The rows quoted on this page set the four-year course for the dentist and say nothing about a course requirement for anyone else in the office.

The duty the training serves

The training points at one general standard. Failing to use scientifically accepted infection prevention techniques appropriate to each profession for the cleaning and sterilization or disinfection of instruments, devices, materials and work surfaces is unprofessional conduct (New York rule 8 NYCRR 29.2(a)(13)).

That wording sets no frequency and no record format. What it names is the standard: scientifically accepted infection prevention techniques, appropriate to each profession (New York rule 8 NYCRR 29.2(a)(13)).

What to record

The rows on this page set no record format and no retention period for training documents. A good log keeps the date each round of course work or training was completed, what it covered and for whom, the date the next round falls due four years on, and the date of each attestation to the State Education Department.

Dental Logbook will keep those in one place, remind the office before the four-year clock runs out, and export the record whenever the office asks for it.

What the rows cover, and where they stop

Every cell below restates one of the three rows this page is built on, or says plainly that the rows say nothing on the point.

The exact words behind this page

Each row below is quoted exactly as our research pack holds it. Every rule sentence on this page restates one of these rows and carries its source in plain words.

The two rows marked NY-5 are published on NYSED's Mandated Training Related to Infection Control page for dentists and in the Education Law, and that NYSED page is where the training requirement is published.

Read next

This page covers the training requirement only. The rest of what New York's own rules say about sterilizer records — and where the state is silent — is set out on our page on New York dental sterilization rules.