# Dental Infection Control Exam Study Guide Last updated 2026-11-01 Use this Dental Infection Control Exam Study Guide to plan your preparation, try a free question and check the official exam requirements. For dental assistants preparing for the DANB® ICE® exam: start with the official outline, work through all four domains, and use explanations to repair gaps. The study schedule below is a Dentovio suggestion, not an examination-board requirement or a promise of passing. ## Know which exam and fee you are preparing for The ICE exam is a component of several certifications; a component pass alone does not complete a multi-exam certification. Its outline lists no eligibility prerequisites, but application, background-information and identification rules still apply. Follow the current official application for your circumstances.[^A2][^ICE-APPLICATION-2026] | Planning fact | Current official information | | --- | --- | | Exam format | **75 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes**. | | Delivery | Test center or online proctoring, subject to the applicable requirements. | | Scheduling | Take the exam within the **60-day authorization window** shown in your notice. | | 2026 traditional-candidate examination fee | **US $270**, including a **$75 nonrefundable application fee**. | Sources: [official outline, printed pp. 1–2][outline]; [2026 application packet, printed pp. 4 and 9][application]. The application packet is labeled 2026 and accepts applications through December 31, 2026. Do not treat these fees as a 2027 quote. A preparation-course purchase does not apply for the examination, establish eligibility or award a credential.[^ICE-APPLICATION-2026] ## Use the four official domains as your checklist The outline weights are **20% disease transmission, 34% cross-contamination, 26% instrument/device processing and 20% occupational safety/administration**. Cross-contamination has the largest published share; none of the four domains can be omitted.[^A2] Create one checklist row for each official topic. Mark it **not studied**, **can explain**, or **needs fresh practice**. Add the source or page you will use next. A familiar heading is not evidence that you can answer an unfamiliar question about it. The current outline describes computer-adaptive testing. Do not turn the number of difficult questions, guesses or a commercial practice percentage into an official result prediction.[^A2] The official preparation page says an answer cannot be changed after submission. Use its demonstration exam to learn the actual navigation before test day.[^DANB-PREPARE-EXAMS] ## Organize your study into 13 manageable blocks These are **Dentovio study blocks**, not 13 official exam domains. They follow the current ICE curriculum. Use them to divide the official checklist into work you can finish and explain; the questions below are learning prompts, not new clinical protocols. | Study block | Check your understanding | | --- | --- | | 1. Disease transmission and patient assessment | Can you connect a route of spread with the relevant patient-history information? | | 2. Hand hygiene | Can you explain the indications, product choices and glove-related distinctions? | | 3. Personal protective equipment | Can you reason from the task and exposure to appropriate protection and safe removal? | | 4. Aerosols, droplets and spatter | Can you explain what the outline's barriers, dental dams and evacuation topics address? | | 5. Environmental surfaces and barriers | Can you distinguish the surface, barrier and chemical-disinfectant questions in a scenario? | | 6. Aseptic trays, waterlines and evacuation | Can you explain each topic separately rather than treating all operatory maintenance alike? | | 7. Equipment, impressions and waste | Can you locate the topic-specific guidance instead of assuming one process fits every item? | | 8. Instrument transport and cleaning | Can you explain the processing workflow and the purpose of each stage? | | 9. Sterilization, packaging, loading and storage | Can you connect the task with the applicable device and product instructions? | | 10. Sterilization monitoring | Can you distinguish monitoring methods, interpret what each result addresses and locate the response guidance? | | 11. Bloodborne pathogens and sharps | Can you locate the relevant controls, exposure-response and record/training topics? | | 12. Hazard communication and agency roles | Can you distinguish hazard labels, safety data sheets and the roles of the named agencies? | | 13. Infection-control programs and documentation | Can you explain training, records, evaluation and how a team identifies a gap? | For substantive answers, use the official outline's references and current primary guidance. [CDC's free Standard Precautions summary][cdc-current] is a useful starting point for the sample below. Check the guidance and relevant manufacturer instructions for the specific topic; this short guide does not supply every clinical procedure or device protocol. ## Try one original question before reading the explanation **A dental assistant has just removed examination gloves. What should happen before a new pair is put on for the next patient?** - **A.** Hand hygiene only if there is visible blood - **B.** A new pair of gloves is enough on its own - **C.** Hand hygiene before the next pair of gloves - **D.** Cleaning the used gloves before putting them back on Choose one answer and give a reason before continuing. This single question is practice, not a diagnostic, a full mock examination or a score predictor. ### Answer and explanation **C. Hand hygiene before the next pair of gloves** Hand hygiene is indicated after removing gloves and before putting on the next pair. Gloves can have small defects, and hands can become contaminated during removal. - **A:** The hand-hygiene indication follows glove removal; it is not conditional only on seeing blood. - **B:** A new pair of gloves does not replace the hand hygiene indicated before donning them. - **D:** CDC advises against washing, disinfecting or sterilizing patient examination gloves for reuse. **Trap:** Gloves do not replace hand hygiene. Source: CDC, Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings—2003, Hand Hygiene; recommendations III.A.2.d–e and IV.C.4.[^B3] Current CDC guidance also places hand hygiene before gloving and immediately after glove removal, and says gloves must not be washed or reused.[^B4] When you review an item, write down the **answer-changing distinction**. Here it is the hand-hygiene indication after glove removal, not whether blood is visible. That is more useful than remembering only the letter C. ## Make a study plan you can actually follow Use this **four-week example** if it fits your background and available time. Extend it when unfamiliar practice still reveals broad gaps. Four weeks is neither an official minimum nor a sufficient-preparation claim. | Week | Main work | Evidence to keep | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Download the official outline and handbook. Check application/ID needs. Study transmission, hand hygiene, PPE and aerosols/spatter. | Your full-domain checklist and explanations for errors or uncertain answers. | | 2 | Work on surfaces, barriers, trays, waterlines, evacuation, equipment, impressions and waste. | A comparison sheet for concepts you keep confusing, with source locations. | | 3 | Work through instrument processing, sterilization and monitoring, then occupational safety and program documentation. | An explanation of each missed distinction, checked against its source. | | 4 | Revisit weak topics across **all four** domains. Use fresh mixed questions and a timed rehearsal. Confirm appointment and technology/ID arrangements. | Fresh-work results, remaining gaps and a practical test-day checklist. | For each study session, choose one small topic, read its explanation, close the notes and explain it aloud or in writing. Then answer an unfamiliar question. Review correct guesses as well as errors. Do not count repeated, memorized answers as fresh evidence. Keep a short error log: | Topic | What changed the answer? | Why I missed it | Source and next check | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Example: glove removal | Hand hygiene is indicated after removal. | I treated new gloves as a replacement for hand hygiene. | CDC hand-hygiene recommendations; explain a fresh scenario. | Label the cause: missing knowledge, confused concepts, misread wording, or time pressure. Choose the next task for that cause rather than rereading everything. ## Rehearse timing without inventing a pass percentage The published 60 minutes for 75 questions works out to **48 seconds per question on average**. That is arithmetic, not a per-question limit. A suggested short rehearsal is ten unfamiliar questions in eight minutes, followed by untimed explanation review. Some items will need longer; practice moving forward after your best supported choice. A question bank's percentage describes that question set. It does not establish an official score or guarantee a pass. Use fresh work, coverage, explanations and pacing together to choose what to study next. DANB determines the official result; its handbook says results normally appear in the candidate's online account within **1–3 business days**.[^DANB-CANDIDATE-HANDBOOK-2026] ## Apply and prepare for test day Use the current application and handbook before paying or scheduling. They control the details for your appointment.[^ICE-APPLICATION-2026][^DANB-CANDIDATE-HANDBOOK-2026] 1. **Match your name and ID.** Check the official identification requirements; resolve a mismatch before test day. The handbook requires an original, current government-issued photo/signature ID in Roman characters matching the DANB account, with a specific minor/online exception. Read that exception if it applies to you. 2. **Request accommodations through the stated process.** The application packet requires requests with the original application/before authorization. 3. **Use the authorization notice to schedule.** Keep the appointment confirmation and check the testing window, location and cancellation instructions. 4. **For online delivery, test the actual setup in advance.** DANB directs candidates to use the same computer and location for the OnVUE system test. Read its current equipment and room requirements before choosing this route.[^DANB-ONLINE-PROCTORING] 5. **For either route, read the permitted-item and conduct rules.** Do not bring reference notes or use recalled examination questions. Follow the instructions for your delivery mode rather than assuming the same break or check-in rules apply everywhere. The official links give the current digital-testing requirements. This guide does not establish that a particular device, room, translated version or future appointment will be available or accepted. Confirm those details through the official booking information. ## If the result is not the one you wanted Use the official result and your remaining topic gaps to plan a change in preparation. The current handbook says a failed exam requires a new application and full fee to retake; state rules may add education requirements. Check the applicable official instructions instead of assuming an unchanged retake cost or eligibility.[^DANB-CANDIDATE-HANDBOOK-2026] Do not seek remembered examination questions. Use the official public resources and original practice. The handbook treats examination content as confidential.[^DANB-CANDIDATE-HANDBOOK-2026] ## Choose your next study step You can use the checklist, sample and suggested plan without buying anything. Start with the [official outline][outline], [preparation resources and demo][prepare], and [current handbook][handbook]. ## Sources and scope [^A2]: Dental Assisting National Board, Infection Control Exam Outline and References, effective March 12, 2025, printed pp. 1–4. Eligibility/component scope p. 1; four domain weights, 75/60 format, delivery and adaptive-testing description p. 2; topic scope pp. 3–4. https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/exam-outlines/ice-exam-outline.pdf [^ICE-APPLICATION-2026]: Dental Assisting National Board, 2026 ICE Application Packet, updated May 15, 2026. Application year/December 31 p. 1; accommodation request p. 3; scheduling p. 4; background-information requirements pp. 7–8; fee/US-dollar instruction/application fee p. 9. https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/national-application-packets/ice-application-packet.pdf [^DANB-CANDIDATE-HANDBOOK-2026]: Dental Assisting National Board, Candidate Handbook, updated June 22, 2026. Retakes p. 4; scheduling p. 5; ID/exception p. 9; prohibited reference materials p. 10; exam security p. 13; official result timing p. 14. https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/candidate-handbooks/candidate-handbook.pdf [^DANB-PREPARE-EXAMS]: Dental Assisting National Board, Prepare for Exams, “Review the exam outline,” “Take a demo exam,” and “Exam day tips.” https://www.danb.org/exams/prepare-for-danb-exams [^DANB-ONLINE-PROCTORING]: Dental Assisting National Board, Online Proctored Exams, “Computer Requirements” and testing-space requirements. https://www.danb.org/exams/online-proctored-exams [^B3]: CDC, Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings—2003, MMWR 52(RR-17), Hand Hygiene recommendations III.A.2.d–e; Personal Protective Equipment, Gloves and Gloving narrative; recommendation IV.C.4. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a1.htm [^B4]: CDC, Standard Precautions, May 15, 2024, Hand hygiene key recommendations before gloving/immediately after glove removal, and PPE glove recommendations against washing/reuse. https://www.cdc.gov/dental-infection-control/hcp/summary/standard-precautions.html [^RHS-DANB-MARKS-2025]: Dental Assisting National Board, Usage Guidelines for DANB Marks, November 10, 2025, pp. 1–3, especially §§7–10, 12–15, 17. https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/danb-policy-documents/usage-guidelines-for-danb-marks.pdf?sfvrsn=ac485984_5 DANB® is a registered service and certification mark, and ICE® is a registered service mark, of the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. This guide is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated with the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.[^RHS-DANB-MARKS-2025] Dentovio provides independent educational preparation using original exam-style material. This guide does not award certification, licensure, clinical competence, CE credit or required workplace training. It is educational information, not individualized clinical or legal advice. Official rules and fees may change; use the sources for your application year and appointment. [outline]: https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/exam-outlines/ice-exam-outline.pdf [application]: https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/national-application-packets/ice-application-packet.pdf [handbook]: https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/candidate-handbooks/candidate-handbook.pdf [prepare]: https://www.danb.org/exams/prepare-for-danb-exams [cdc-current]: https://www.cdc.gov/dental-infection-control/hcp/summary/standard-precautions.html If you want organized lessons, original practice with explanations and saved study work, [see the optional Dentovio Dental Infection Control Exam Prep course](/products/danb-ice). Check its current price, access and availability before purchasing. The official examination fee is separate, and a course purchase does not predict a passing result. $49.00 once. Access to the study materials is provided for 180 days from the date of purchase.. [Purchase terms](/terms).