As a career dental assistant and now a dental assistant educator, I cannot express how important it is to have infection control training and certification.  I have had both on-the-job and formal dental assisting training. My OTJ training was sufficient for the time (1980s), but the current environment warrants more strict/stringent training in infection control.  Certification in Infection Control would go far in winning the trust of the public. Understanding the whys, as well as the hows, of IC makes a dental assistant very valuable and formal training and certification takes the burden off the doctor to do so.  Relying solely on annual OSHA training isn't enough to protect the public since OSHA protects the employee.   Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.