North Carolina Dental Board – Dental Laws and Infection Control License Practice Exam

Changing masks between patients and whenever they become wet or soiled is essential to maintain a strong protective barrier and prevent cross-contamination. In dental care, masks protect both the patient and the clinician from droplets and aerosols. When a mask becomes damp from breath, saliva, or splashes, its filtration efficiency decreases and it can harbor microorganisms, increasing the risk of transmission. Therefore, the best practice is to put on a new mask after finishing with one patient or immediately if it becomes wet or soiled during treatment.

Choosing to change only once per day, after lunch, or at the end of a shift doesn’t address the contamination that can occur with each patient or the loss of filtration efficiency when the mask is damp. These approaches leave a compromised barrier in place for multiple patients.