Policy on Pediatric Dental Office and Personnel Security

Policy statement

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages pediatric dental practitioners and/or facility administrators to:

• create a workplace safety plan that includes protocols to mitigate risks of administrative, technical, and physical security threats.
• adopt a zero-tolerance policy to promote a safe and respectful working environment.
• regularly schedule emergency training exercises to keep the team ready and retrain when there is a change in the workplace safety plan, personnel, or infrastructure or with foreseen problems.
• join local emergency management teams to support community response plans.
• reference the AAPD Disaster Preparedness Resource Hub, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and The Department of Homeland Security for helpful information to prepare for emergencies.

In addition, the AAPD supports research in the dental setting which focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating workplace harassment and violence reduction initiatives, cyber-intrusion reduction initiatives, and disaster preparedness and planning in the event of a weather or natural disaster emergency.