What will most dental graduates today not understand about infection control?
Mikael Zimmerman: Not many graduates view dental caries and periodontal diseases as infectious diseases. As a dentist, you need to understand that you are dealing with microorganisms and have a broader perspective of infection control, because treating dental caries is a significant part of infection control. There are striking parallels between treating dental caries and cleaning dental instruments. Dentists need to see themselves as infectious medicine specialists; this means you think globally and act locally. You have to see the link between infection control and the development of antibiotic systems. Today, antibiotic resistance is the biggest global threat against human development and prosperity. Antibiotics give us the ability to treat infectious diseases but studies are showing that in some areas they are failing to cure common bacterial childhood diseases, which were treatable 5 years ago. Not practicing infection control makes you a saboteur of nature, as you contribute to i
