Dental Unit Waterlines: General Overview

CE-DENT-WATER-V1.0
AGD Subject Code: 148 - Infection Control
Enrollment is open.

Course Description

This course provides a practical overview of microbial contamination risks within dental unit waterlines and the measures needed to maintain safe treatment water. It introduces learners to biofilm formation, water-quality monitoring, engineering controls, and response planning for contamination events. The course is designed to strengthen everyday dental waterline safety, patient protection, and regulatory readiness in clinical practice.

Prerequisites / required prior knowledge

  • None required
  • Intended audience: Dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, sterilization or reprocessing staff, practice managers, and others involved in dental operatory setup, waterline maintenance, or compliance oversight.
  • Recommended: Familiarity with dental operatory workflow, routine infection prevention practices, and dental equipment maintenance responsibilities.

Delivery

Online
Self‑Instruction (Asynchronous)

Credit

1.0 continuing education hour (Self‑Instruction)

Cost

$149 CAD

Availability window

Available on demand  Access for 1 year after enrollment
Meet the instructor

Kamyab Ghatan

MD, AL-CIP™, CIC®, LTC-CIP®, DISIPC, CDIPC
Dr. Kamyab Ghatan is a medical doctor and infection prevention leader who develops practical, standards-based training for diverse environments, including acute and long-term care, ambulatory and dental clinics, veterinary practices, and construction/renovation settings. His work spans infection prevention, surveillance, water management, sterile processing, and implementation science, with a focus on translating standards into workflows teams can actually use. Dr. Ghatan is the founder of the International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP).

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the sources and types of microbial contamination in dental water systems.
  • Identify risk factors for biofilm development and patient exposure in clinical settings.
  • Explain how engineering controls and maintenance practices can be used to reduce microbial contamination in dental unit waterlines.
  • Interpret water-quality monitoring results and identify when follow-up or corrective action is required.
  • Develop and evaluate response plans for dental unit waterline contamination events to improve future prevention.

Completion requirements:

Learners receive credit after viewing all required content, passing the post‑test/final assessment with a minimum score of 80% (up to three attempts), and submitting the course evaluation. If a learner does not achieve 80% within three attempts, they must re-do the course (re-complete required content) within their access period before attempting the assessment again. Upon successful completion, learners may download a certificate of completion.
Provider: International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP)
Learner Support: support@icicp.com

Frequently asked questions

Disclosures (conflict of interest / proprietary interest)

The instructor(s) and planners report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies related to this educational activity.

Commercial support

None. This activity received no commercial support.

Non‑vocational licensing disclosure

This course/program does not require approval under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Content independence statement

Educational content is non‑promotional and designed to be independent of commercial influence; any trade names used are for identification only, and alternatives may be discussed.