1. When treatment is complete, the dentist will push the “over the patient” delivery arm back across the patient to the nurse’s side. The nurse must remove all instruments from the tray attached to the arm, together with the paper tray liner and set them aside in the nurse’s wash basin for sorting, disposal or cleaning.

2. Remove whichever of the following items have been used in treating the last patient: the ultrasonic insert, light cure insert, electric motor hand piece and air turbine hand piece. Place them neatly on the work surface at the side of the wash basin next to the autoclave, NOT IN THE WASH BASIN. At the end of a session, run the hand pieces into the sink for 30 seconds (with the water spray turned on) before removing them. Remove the patient’s mouth rinse cup, aspirator, saliva ejector and triple spray tip and place them in the nurse’s wash basin.

3. Flush and wipe out the cuspidor (spittoon).

4. Wipe down the head rest on the patient chair. Wipe down the entire chair if it is the end of the session.

5. Wipe down the protective Perspex cover, the surround, the on/off switch and both handles on the operating light.

6. Wipe down the entire “over the patient” delivery unit. Wipe down the outlets on the delivery unit (both the leads and the couplings on the end of them) and the rubber mat on which they rest, paying particular attention to ensure that no blood, restorative materials or other debris remain. Wipe down the handles on either side of the delivery system and the dentist’s tray and tray holder. Wipe down the arm supporting the aspirator and saliva ejector tubes, together with the nozzles on the end of each tube.

7. Remove any dirty instrument trays from the work surface to the left of the nurse’s wash basin and place them in the wash basin together with all instruments on them.

8. Wipe down all work surfaces and the capsule mixer, if it has been used while treating the last patient.

9. REMOVE YOUR EXAMINATION GLOVES AND PLACE THEM IN THE CLINICAL WASTE BIN.

10. Replace the tray liner. Take out a clean aspirator, triple spray tip, saliva ejector, mirror and probe; you may also need a clean ultrasonic insert, light cure insert, electric motor hand piece or air turbine hand piece if these have been removed for sterilisation. Place the mirror and probe on the tray liner. Attach the other instruments to their respective outlets. Set up a fresh cup of mouth rinse for the patient.

11. Check the dentist’s patient list to see what procedure you will carry out on the next patient of the day. Set the surgery up for this procedure.

12. Check to ensure that you have not run out of any consumables. If the surgery needs restocking, do it now. You only need restock items that are in imminent danger of running out. A full restock is done at the end of the day.

13. PUT ON YOUR HEAVY DUTY GLOVES.

14. Remove the used tray liner, saliva ejector, patient’s mouth rinse cup and any other waste (eg extracted teeth, cotton wool rolls, etc) from the nurse’s wash basin and place in the appropriate waste containers.

15. When clearing away waste products, remember that all surgery waste products are to be treated as clinical waste EXCEPT the following items which must be placed in the appropriate waste containers:

   a) partially discharged local anaesthetic cartridges – in their own special waste container

   b) fully discharged local anaesthetic cartridges – in the sharps bin

   c) needles, scalpel blades or other sharp objects – in the sharps bin

   d) amalgam or extracted teeth that have been filled with amalgam – in the special amalgam waste container

   e) amalgam capsules – in their own special container

   f) precious metal waste – in its own special container

16. Sterilise all contaminated instruments following the detailed guidance in the cross infection control policy.

17. Remove the heavy-duty gloves and clean them.

18. PUT ON A FRESH PAIR OF EXAMINATION GLOVES BEFORE YOU PUT AWAY STERILISED INSTRUMENTS OR ASSIST WITH TREATMENT OF THE NEXT PATIENT.

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