What steps should be taken to prepare the dental chair before the patient arrives?

Preparing the dental chair before a patient arrives is essential for maintaining infection control and ensuring a safe environment. Choosing to wipe down the chair and cover the headrest and pillow is the correct approach because it involves both cleaning and protecting the chair, which minimizes the risk of cross-contamination.

Wiping down the chair helps remove any potential contaminants and reduces the bacterial load on surfaces that the patient might come into contact with. Additionally, covering the headrest and pillow provides a protective barrier, which is crucial since these surfaces are in direct contact with the patient's skin during the procedure. This practice aids in maintaining hygiene standards and enhances patient comfort.

While cleaning the chair with soap and water can remove dirt and debris, it may not be sufficient to address microbial concerns fully. Adjusting the chair height is a necessary task, but it does not directly contribute to infection control. Fully sterilizing the chair surface is often impractical and unnecessary, as disinfection procedures are typically sufficient in a dental setting to ensure the chair is safe for patient use.

Thus, wiping down the chair and covering areas that come into contact with the patient are the most effective methods to prevent the transfer of pathogens before a patient arrives.