What happens when the systems meant to protect patients and providers… aren’t actually being followed?

In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, Brandi sits down with infection control expert and educator Sherrie Busby to unpack one of the most overlooked risks in dentistry, the gap between what’s taught, what’s required, and what’s actually happening inside practices.

Sherrie shares the story that started it all, a real exposure to hepatitis early in her career, before PPE was standard, and how that moment shaped her path into infection control education. From there, the conversation opens into a much bigger issue, one that still exists today.

Despite clear guidelines from OSHA and the CDC, most dental teams are still navigating infection control through passed-down habits, inconsistent training, and limited onboarding. The result? Misunderstandings, burnout, turnover, and potential risk to both patients and providers.

This episode goes beyond protocols. It’s a conversation about leadership, accountability, team culture, and what it really takes to build a safe, high-functioning dental practice.

If you’ve ever assumed your team “just knows” what to do, this episode will challenge that assumption.

You’ll learn:

• Why infection control training is still a major gap in dentistry
• The real reason dentists graduate with little to no infection control education
• How bad habits get passed down through teams without anyone realizing it
• Why onboarding failures are driving burnout and turnover in dental offices
• The “four-lane highway gap” that’s costing practices time, money, and safety
• How proper training directly impacts productivity, confidence, and culture
• The balance between hiring experts vs. training internally
• Why dental assistants are the backbone of infection control and patient safety
• How to create scalable, repeatable training systems in your practice
• The role of ownership and self-led learning in building high-performing teams

🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:

https://www.therealtalkofdental.com

🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:

https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundaryboss

We talk about:

00:00 The story that sparked a career in infection control

03:00 Life before PPE and how safety standards evolved

06:00 Why dental education is missing critical infection control training

10:00 The biggest training gaps in dental practices today

15:00 Why onboarding fails and how it impacts retention

20:00 The ripple effect of poor training and system breakdowns

24:00 Internal vs. external training, what actually works

29:00 Empowering assistants and building confident teams

31:00 Why doctors must invest in training (and what happens when they don’t)

36:00 Final thoughts on leadership, growth, and raising the standard

Connect with Sherrie

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrie-busby-edda-cdso-cdipc-ab38694b/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentalassistantconnection/

Connect with me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/

https://courageandjoyatwork.com/

https://leadhershipexperience.com/

Phone: 616-682-6222