Dental Offices

Reschedule appointments for immunocompromised patients, such as HIV-positive individuals, chemotherapy and transplant patients, and congenitally immunocompromised individuals.

Warn your patients before treatment that they are at greater risk for cryptosporidiosis if they are immunocompromised, and that they may wish to reschedule their treatment after the boil water advisory is lifted. Explain to all patients the current situation regarding water and indicate what procedures your office is following to protect their health.

Patients and employees should not use or consume water that has not been disinfected, or ice or drinks made from water that has not been disinfected.

Water should not be delivered to patients through the dental unit, ultrasonic scaler, or other dental equipment with water line connections to the public water system. Turn off the water supply to such equipment. Using disinfected water, flow water out of a bulb syringe when using high-speed hand pieces. This restriction does not apply if the water source is isolated from the municipal water system (e.g., a separate water reservoir or other water treatment device cleared for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration).

All employees with diarrheal illness should be regulated by standard rules of exclusion from work.