The Association for Dental Safety has launched a new organization to provide clinical guidelines and best practices after the CDC’s oral health division was eliminated in a round of federal layoffs.
The CDC’s oral health division was shuttered earlier this year as part of the HHS Department’s plan to reduce the number of full-time employees from 82,000 to 62,000.
The ADS previously oversaw dental infection prevention and patient safety initiatives in partnership with the CDC. Now, the new ADS Institute for Dental Safety and Science will work to continue developing guidelines and best practices.
The institute will be led by Eve Cuny, a board member for the ADS Foundation, according to a July 8 news release.
One of the first tasks the new group will undertake is appointing an advisory committee that will oversee updates to the CDC’s infection control guidelines for dental healthcare settings. The CDC last updated these guidelines in 2003.
