Dental Office Infection Control & Safety Checklist

Maintain the Highest Standards of Safety and Compliance in Your Dental Practice

Running a safe, compliant dental practice requires vigilant daily attention to infection control protocols, sterilization procedures, and emergency preparedness. From autoclave spore testing to sharps container monitoring, radiation badge tracking to emergency oxygen verification, the list of safety checkpoints can feel overwhelming—especially when juggled alongside patient care.

This Dental Office Infection Control & Safety Checklist template gives your team a structured, repeatable way to document every critical safety check, maintain compliance with CDC, OSHA, and state dental board requirements, and create a clear audit trail that protects both your patients and your practice.

Why Dental Practices Choose This Template

Dental offices face unique infection control and safety challenges that go far beyond general healthcare settings. Between high-speed handpiece sterilization, amalgam waste disposal, radiation exposure monitoring, and bloodborne pathogen protocols, there's zero room for shortcuts or missed steps.

This template is designed specifically for:

• Dental practice managers and office administrators who need daily documentation of safety protocols
• Infection control coordinators responsible for CDC compliance and sterilization monitoring
• Dentists and dental hygienists performing chair-side safety checks
• Multi-location dental groups standardizing safety procedures across offices
• New dental practices establishing comprehensive safety programs

What's Inside the Template

This checklist covers the core infection control and safety domains required for dental office compliance:

Sterilization Equipment & Monitoring
Daily autoclave cycle verification, biological indicator (spore test) tracking, chemical indicator monitoring, sterilizer maintenance logs, and documentation of equipment malfunctions or failures.

Instrument Processing & Reprocessing
Pre-cleaning procedures, ultrasonic cleaner operation, packaging and dating protocols, handpiece sterilization verification, and tracking of single-use vs. reprocessable items.

Sharps & Biohazard Waste Compliance
Sharps container fill levels, proper closure and disposal documentation, biohazard bag management, amalgam waste separator checks, and compliance with state-specific regulated waste requirements.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Inventory checks for gloves, masks, face shields, gowns, and eyewear, plus verification that PPE supplies meet current standards and are accessible in all treatment areas.

Surface Disinfection & Barrier Protocols
Operatory turnover procedures, EPA-registered disinfectant verification, contact time compliance, barrier protection (light handles, hoses, switches), and proper use of low/intermediate/high-level disinfectants.

Radiation Safety & Equipment
X-ray machine calibration records, radiation badge monitoring and submission, lead apron condition checks, thyroid collar availability, exposure log completeness, and digital sensor infection control.

Emergency Equipment Readiness
Emergency oxygen tank pressure verification, AED functionality and pad expiration, emergency drug kit (if applicable) expiration dates, emergency contact list updates, and staff CPR certification tracking.

Water Line & Suction System Maintenance
Waterline treatment protocols, independent reservoir monitoring, end-of-day water line purging, suction system evacuation trap cleaning, and testing for dental unit water quality (if required).

Spill Kits & Exposure Response
Spill kit inventory (absorbent materials, disinfectants, PPE), bloodborne pathogen exposure protocols, post-exposure documentation procedures, and eyewash station functionality.

How Paperform Makes Compliance Simple

Unlike paper checklists that get lost, skipped or forgotten, Paperform turns your infection control protocols into a digital system that's easy to complete on any device, automatically timestamps every entry, and stores everything securely for audits and inspections.

With conditional logic, you can set the form to flag critical issues—like a failed spore test or low oxygen tank pressure—and immediately notify the right person via email or Slack. Calculations can track compliance percentages, overdue maintenance items, or days since the last biological indicator test, keeping your team proactive instead of reactive.

Automate Your Safety Workflows with Stepper

Once your checklist is submitted, Stepper (stepper.io) can take over the follow-up work:

• Trigger maintenance requests when equipment issues are reported
• Send weekly summary reports to your infection control coordinator or practice owner
• Create tasks in Asana, Monday or ClickUp when corrective actions are needed
• Log compliance data into Google Sheets or Airtable for trend analysis and Board inspections
• Alert staff via Slack or SMS when critical safety thresholds are breached

By connecting your daily checklist to automated workflows, you reduce administrative burden and ensure no safety issue slips through the cracks.

Built for Real Dental Office Workflows

This template reflects the day-to-day reality of dental practice operations. It's structured to support both daily opening/closing safety checks and weekly deep-dive inspections, with clear yes/no verification, photo upload fields for documentation, and notes sections for corrective actions or follow-up.

Whether your practice is a solo general dentistry office, a multi-specialty group, or a DSO managing dozens of locations, this checklist adapts to your protocols while maintaining the rigor required for state dental board inspections, OSHA audits, and malpractice risk management.

Secure, Compliant, and Always Accessible

Paperform is SOC 2 Type II compliant with encryption, access controls, and secure data storage—so your safety records are protected and audit-ready. You can export submissions to PDF for patient charts or regulatory files, set up role-based access so only authorized staff can view sensitive data, and store years of compliance records without the filing cabinets.

Because Paperform works beautifully on mobile, your team can complete the checklist right from the sterilization room, operatory, or equipment area—no more clipboards or hunting for pens.

Who Benefits Most from This Template

This template is ideal for:

• Dental offices committed to CDC and OSHA compliance without drowning in paperwork
• Infection control officers who need consistent, defensible documentation
• Practice managers looking to standardize safety protocols and reduce liability risk
• Dental support organizations (DSOs) scaling best practices across multiple locations
• New graduates setting up their first practice with professional systems from day one

Whether you're preparing for an upcoming inspection, responding to a compliance gap identified in an audit, or simply want to elevate your infection control program, this template gives you a professional, repeatable foundation that protects your patients, your team, and your practice.

Start using this template today and bring clarity, consistency, and confidence to your dental office safety protocols.