As Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) we are actively aware of the governing bodies that regulate the industry. We have to come to know in detail the CQC outcomes and what is required of us during inspection, we all follow the government guidelines involving HTM 01:05 documents, and we all follow our own in-house codes of practice.

Ever wondered which course would be the most beneficial to study to develop your career as a dental nurse? The answer to this question is that everyone is different, and each course will benefit nurses and practices in different ways.

In this article I will establish the reasons for having a framework in place to ensure we are meeting all the decontamination and infection control standards and that all our practice procedures and protocols align with the current regulations and guidelines. We must ensure that these are followed, and are aware of the importance of implementation, reviews and consistency.

The GDC Register for February 2015 states that there are currently 53,096 Registered Dental Nurses working in the UK (www.gdc-uk.org). Clearly, such a vast number of professionals need to be regulated in some way, which is why the GDC created their Standards: a clear set of guidelines which each member of the dental team is expected to adhere to at all times. 

In this article I will establish the role and responsibilities of the DICL and other members of the dental team. In each of our practices, the practice manager is the Infection Control Supervisor (ICS) and the head nurse is the DICL.