OSAP’s New If Saliva Were Red Video Now Available To View

Designed to be a suitable training tool for classrooms and practices worldwide, regardless of native language, the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) has produced an updated and revamped If Saliva Were Red video.

This compelling 5-minute video uses real dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) and was premiered at the 2023 OSAP Dental Infection Control Boot Camp^TM. The video illustrates common dental infection control and safety flaws, the cross-contamination DHCP would see if saliva were red, and how controlling contamination by using personal barrier protection, safe work practices, and effective infection control products, reduces the risk of exposure.Produced without a voice track, the video uses visual rather than verbal cues to stress the need for procedure-specific dental infection control. To view and download If Saliva Were Red visit www.osap.org/if-saliva-were-red.

The organization also created How to Tell the Story: A Facilitator's Guide. This guide provides facilitators, educators, consultants, and in-practice instructors with visual cues and talking points from the video, answers to common questions, a checklist of the elements of a comprehensive dental personnel training program, and a list of resources.

OSAP says this digital video and facilitator guide are available at no cost thanks to CareQuest Institute for Oral Health grant funding.

“We are thrilled to finally release this video to the oral healthcare community after years in the making. It is one of the most impactful visuals to facilitate a discussion about cross-contamination and appropriate mitigation strategies,” says OSAP’s Executive Director Michelle Lee, CPC. “The creation and development of the video was possible with the dedication and expertise of our infection prevention experts, including, Eve Cuny, MS, CDIPC; Kathy J. Eklund, RDH, MHP; Karen Gregory, RDH, CDIPC; Michele L. Lash, RDH, BA; Shannon Mills, DDS; and Michele Neuburger, DDS, MPH. We hope this video is widely shared among the oral health care community to help ensure every dental visit is a safe visit.”