How to become a designated IPAC officer for an Ontario dental clinic

What a designated IPAC officer does

The IPAC officer owns the clinic's infection prevention and control program. That means maintaining the IPAC manual, keeping sterilization and monitoring records current, training the team when new equipment or protocols arrive, running internal audits, and being the point person when a public health inspector visits. It is an ongoing operational role, not a one-time certificate - the program needs someone accountable for it every month of the year.

• Maintain and update the clinic-specific IPAC manual
• Oversee sterilization workflow and monitoring records
• Train staff on reprocessing and new equipment
• Run internal audits and correct gaps
• Lead the clinic through public health inspections

Who can become an IPAC officer

In most Ontario clinics the role falls to a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) in good standing with the CDHO, because hygienists already work closely with reprocessing and infection control. That said, the designated officer is a role rather than a licensed title - what matters is that the person has the right formal training, the authority to enforce protocols, and the time to actually run the program. A committed dental assistant with strong IPAC training and clear authority can also fill it in some practices.

The training that qualifies you

Formal, infection-control-specific training is the core requirement. Common pathways include the Public Health Ontario IPAC Core Competencies and reprocessing modules, and college-level courses such as Fanshawe College's Infection Control and Reprocessing course for dental settings. The goal is genuine competence in sterilization science, biological monitoring, hand hygiene, surface disinfection, and audit procedures - aligned with the RCDSO Standard of Practice on IPAC and Public Health Ontario expectations. Prime DMS delivers this through structured IPAC officer training that also includes hands-on audit practice.

• Public Health Ontario IPAC Core Competencies and reprocessing modules
• College-level infection control and reprocessing training
• Practical experience running audits and completing logs
• Ongoing updates as RCDSO and PHO guidance changes

Turning training into an inspection-ready program

Certification is the start; the harder part is running the program well enough to pass an inspection. That means the manual, the logs, and what staff actually do every day all line up. New officers benefit from shadowing a real audit and seeing what a public health visit looks like - our guide on what inspectors look for in 2026 is a good next read, along with the Ontario dental office compliance checklist.

If you need an officer, not a course

Some clinics don't have a staff member who can take on the role, or need one trained fast before an inspection. Prime DMS either trains your existing RDH into the designated officer role or helps you recruit a qualified candidate and builds the IPAC manual and policies the officer will run. Either way, the clinic ends up with a real program and a named person accountable for it.