The Infection Prevention Society (IPS) has released a draft update of the dental audit tool and is inviting feedback from dental and IPC professionals to ensure it reflects current best practice in decontamination.
What is the Dental Audit Tool?
The audit tool helps dental practices check how well they follow HTM 01-05: Decontamination in Primary Care Dental Practices. It is designed for:
- Dental teams, including dentists, nurses, hygienists, practice managers, and infection prevention and control leads, to review their cleaning, sterilisation, and record-keeping processes.
- Commissioners and regulators looking for evidence of safe practices.
- Staff leading quality improvement projects in dental practices.
Why Are We Reviewing It?
There are several factors prompting this review:
- Regulatory expectations: Practices must demonstrate audit activity as part of infection prevention governance.
- Patient safety and quality improvement: Regular audit validates sterilisation processes, record-keeping, and staff training.
- Evolving practice standards: While HTM 01-05 remains current, interpretation and implementation evolve with new evidence and technologies.
- Ongoing demand: IPS frequently receives enquiries about accessing and updating the audit tool, underlining its continued importance.
Please Note: This is a draft version of the updated tool. We cannot provide an updated current version at this time. The tool on the NHS England website is the only version available for official use: NHS England HTM 01-05 audit tool.
How You Can Help
The draft has been prepared by a small group of IPC and dental experts. IPS is inviting feedback on the draft to help improve it. Please share your thoughts using the Microsoft Form. The deadline for responses is 5pm on 26 March 2026.
