Every September, the dental community comes together to recognize Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM), an annual initiative led by the Association for Dental Safety (ADS). DICAM serves as an opportunity to educate dental professionals, engage patients, and reinforce the infection prevention practices that make every dental visit safer.
According to ADS, DICAM was created to promote awareness of dental infection prevention and inspire consistent adoption of best practices throughout the profession. This year’s theme, “Safety Starts With Every Step,” emphasizes that small, everyday actions collectively create the safest possible experience for patients and dental teams alike.
Why We Celebrate DICAM
Infection prevention is the foundation of quality dental care. From proper hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) to instrument reprocessing and environmental disinfection, every protocol plays a role in reducing the risk of disease transmission and promoting patient confidence.
DICAM reminds us that dental safety is not defined by a single procedure or product. Rather, it is built through a series of intentional, consistent actions performed throughout the patient journey. ADS describes DICAM as a campaign designed to educate, engage, and inspire the dental community around infection prevention while supporting the goal of delivering the safest dental visit possible.
As dental professionals continue to navigate evolving infection control expectations, DICAM provides a valuable platform for sharing knowledge, recognizing best practices, and demonstrating a commitment to patient safety.
DryShield Is Proud to Support ADS as a Super Sponsor
DryShield is proud to serve as an ADS Super Sponsor, supporting the organization’s mission to advance dental infection prevention, education, and patient safety. ADS is recognized as the leading association dedicated exclusively to dental infection prevention and safety, helping oral healthcare professionals implement evidence-based protocols and best practices.
Our partnership with ADS reflects DryShield’s ongoing commitment to helping dental teams create efficient, comfortable, and safer clinical environments. As infection control remains a top priority across dentistry, we’re honored to support initiatives that elevate awareness and encourage continuous improvement throughout the profession.
Safety Starts With Every Step and Every Procedure
This year’s DICAM theme resonates strongly with the role that isolation and aerosol management play in modern dentistry.
Dental procedures often generate aerosols and spatter that can contain saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other contaminants. Managing these aerosols is an important component of a comprehensive infection prevention strategy. While no single device can eliminate all risks, reducing aerosol spread at the source helps support safer clinical environments for both patients and providers.
That is where DryShield makes a difference.
How DryShield Supports Dental Infection Control
DryShield was designed to simplify isolation while supporting many of the goals outlined in dental infection prevention programs.
By combining hands-free isolation, high-volume evacuation functionality, soft tissue retraction, tongue control, and bite block support into a single device, DryShield helps create a more controlled treatment environment. This integrated approach allows clinicians to work more efficiently while helping reduce the movement of fluids and aerosols during procedures.
Aerosol Capture at the Source
One of DryShield’s most important infection control benefits is its ability to assist with aerosol management.
During aerosol-generating procedures, capturing contaminants as close to the source as possible is a recognized best practice for reducing exposure throughout the operatory. DryShield’s integrated evacuation system helps remove aerosols, fluids, and debris directly from the treatment area, supporting broader infection prevention protocols already in place within the practice.
This approach aligns with the spirit of this year’s DICAM message. Every action matters. Every protocol matters. And every tool that helps dental professionals improve safety contributes to a safer experience for patients and providers.
Creating a More Efficient Workflow
Infection control and efficiency often go hand in hand.
By reducing the need for constant repositioning of traditional evacuation devices and freeing clinicians and assistants to focus on patient care, DryShield can help streamline procedures without compromising safety. A more efficient workflow allows dental teams to maintain focus on the infection prevention steps that matter most while delivering a positive patient experience.
Supporting Patient Confidence
Patients are more aware of infection prevention than ever before. Many actively look for signs that a practice prioritizes cleanliness, safety, and modern technology.
Using tools that support aerosol management and procedural efficiency can help reinforce a practice’s commitment to patient protection. When patients see a dental team investing in advanced infection control solutions, it builds trust and confidence in the care they receive.
A Shared Commitment to Safer Dentistry
Dental Infection Control Awareness Month is a reminder that patient safety is everyone’s responsibility. Whether it’s following sterilization protocols, wearing PPE correctly, maintaining dental unit waterlines, or implementing effective aerosol management strategies, every step contributes to better outcomes.
At DryShield, we are proud to support dental professionals who make safety a priority every day. As an ADS Super Sponsor and a trusted partner in dental isolation and aerosol management, we remain committed to helping practices create safer, more comfortable, and more efficient dental visits.
This DICAM, we invite you to join us in celebrating the actions that protect patients, empower teams, and strengthen confidence in dental care.
Safety Starts With Every Step.
Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM) is an annual campaign led by the Association for Dental Safety (ADS) each September to educate, engage, and inspire the dental community around infection prevention and patient safety.
The 2026 DICAM theme is “Safety Starts With Every Step.” The campaign focuses on the small, consistent actions that dental professionals take every day to create the safest possible dental visit.
Infection control helps prevent the spread of microorganisms between patients and dental professionals. Effective protocols protect both patients and staff while supporting regulatory compliance and patient confidence.
DryShield supports infection prevention by providing isolation, retraction, and high-volume evacuation capabilities in a single device. Its integrated suction system helps capture aerosols, fluids, and debris near the treatment site.
Dental aerosols are tiny airborne particles generated during certain procedures. They may contain saliva, microorganisms, and other contaminants, making aerosol management an important part of modern dental infection control protocols.
Capturing aerosols near their source can help reduce the amount of potentially contaminated particles released into the treatment environment. Aerosol management is one component of a comprehensive infection prevention strategy.
The Association for Dental Safety (ADS), formerly OSAP, is the leading professional association dedicated exclusively to dental infection prevention and patient safety. The organization provides education, resources, training, and certification programs for dental professionals.
