You just finished a routine cleaning with a patient and are heading in to see your next patient. As you enter the patient's room with the medication, describe the first thing you do to prevent patient infection.

"The first thing I would do to prevent the patient from getting sick or infected is to wash my hands. There are other actions I would need to take to prevent infection, but handwashing is primary. Because dental work involves the mouth, dental patients can be prone to many sicknesses and I am ready to do my part to help prevent this. On top of handwashing, I would always wear surgical gloves and a mask when directly performing work on a patient."

Although it may seem obvious, the simple task of handwashing is the first step in infection prevention. To effectively answer this question, explain that the first step you would take to prevent infection would be to wash your hands thoroughly. Talk about any formal infection prevention training you may have received in the past, and reiterate that you would always take the necessary measures to keep patients safe. Be sure to point out the importance of using PPE and safely managing all care equipment.