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DANB ICE Practice Test: Free Dental Infection Control Exam Questions

153 practice questions for the Infection Control (ICE) exam, DANB's dental infection control exam, part of the CDA and of other DANB certifications, and accepted by several states on its own. They follow the ICE outline effective March 12, 2025, weighted like the exam: Prevention of Cross-contamination (34%), Process Instruments and Devices (26%), Prevention of Disease Transmission (20%) and Occupational Safety and Administration Protocols (20%). Expect the CDC dental guidelines and their 2016 Summary in practice: which disinfectant for which surface, when barriers change, 500 CFU/mL waterlines, what goes in a holding solution, why hinges go open in the pouch, what to do after a positive spore test, and OSHA's rules on sharps, exposure follow-up, training and safety data sheets. Every question is tagged to its outline area and every answer names its public source.

The real test: 75 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, at a Pearson VUE test center or by live remote proctoring, with no eligibility requirements. It is computer adaptive and scored from 100 to 900, with 400 to pass. It follows the ICE outline effective March 2025: Prevention of Cross-contamination 34%, Process Instruments and Devices 26%, Prevention of Disease Transmission 20% and Occupational Safety and Administration Protocols 20%. It is one of the three CDA exams, and several states use it on its own. Our practice test is full length, 75 questions split by the outline weights, passing at 70% (53 of 75).

Here: 153 questions. Our own practice questions, built on DANB's public Infection Control (ICE) exam outline and written from public sources (CDC, OSHA, the ADA/FDA radiography recommendations, FDA, NRC, EPA, NIH StatPearls, open-access dental research and US Army dental specialist courses), with every answer's source named. Topics are the 4 areas of the outline. Not DANB's test questions. Free.

What's on the test

"On the test" is the rough share of a 75-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.

10 sample questions

1. Which list names the links in the chain of infection?

   • A.Vaccine, antibody, booster, titer, exposure, treatment and recovery
   • B.Agent, reservoir, exit, mode of transmission, entry, susceptible host
   • C.Sterilize, package, label, store, open, use and discard after one use
   • D.Wash, glove, gown, mask, eyewear, treat and then dismiss the patient
   Show answer

   B. Agent, reservoir, exit, mode of transmission, entry, susceptible host

   ICE-1 · I. Prevention of Disease Transmission

2. Why must a visibly soiled surface be cleaned before it is disinfected?

   • A.Cleaning first makes the disinfectant smell less strong
   • B.It doesn't; disinfectant alone removes all debris
   • C.Disinfectants only work on surfaces that are warm
   • D.Debris shields germs and can inactivate the disinfectant
   Show answer

   D. Debris shields germs and can inactivate the disinfectant

   ICE-32 · II. Prevention of Cross-contamination

3. How should contaminated instruments be carried from the operatory to the processing area?

   • A.In a covered, puncture-resistant container
   • B.Wrapped in the patient's used bib
   • C.In an open tray balanced on one hand
   • D.In the assistant's gloved hands, held up high
   Show answer

   A. In a covered, puncture-resistant container

   ICE-84 · III. Process Instruments and Devices

4. How often must a dental office's written exposure control plan be reviewed and updated?

   • A.At least once a year, and when tasks change
   • B.Only after an OSHA inspection finds a problem
   • C.Every 10 years, at license renewal
   • D.Only once, when the office first opens
   Show answer

   A. At least once a year, and when tasks change

   ICE-124 · IV. Occupational Safety and Administration Protocols

5. In a dental office, which of these is an example of indirect contact transmission?

   • A.Touching a contaminated light handle, then the patient's mouth
   • B.A needlestick from a used anesthetic needle in the tray
   • C.A mosquito bite that carries a virus into the skin
   • D.Breathing in measles virus that hangs in the air for hours
   Show answer

   A. Touching a contaminated light handle, then the patient's mouth

   ICE-2 · I. Prevention of Disease Transmission

6. How are housekeeping surfaces such as floors and walls handled in the operatory?

   • A.Covered with plastic barriers changed each patient
   • B.Disinfected with a sterilant after every patient
   • C.Never cleaned, since patients don't touch them
   • D.Cleaned on a routine schedule, and when soiled
   Show answer

   D. Cleaned on a routine schedule, and when soiled

   ICE-33 · II. Prevention of Cross-contamination

7. Why should instrument processing flow in one direction, from dirty to clean to sterile to storage?

   • A.So the assistant gets more steps in during the day
   • B.So the sterilizer warms up while instruments are cleaned
   • C.So clean and sterile items never mix with dirty ones
   • D.It doesn't matter which way items move through the room
   Show answer

   C. So clean and sterile items never mix with dirty ones

   ICE-85 · III. Process Instruments and Devices

8. Which is an engineering control under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard?

   • A.A rule against recapping needles with two hands
   • B.A poster reminding staff to wash their hands
   • C.A sharps container or a self-sheathing needle
   • D.A yearly training class on infection control
   Show answer

   C. A sharps container or a self-sheathing needle

   ICE-125 · IV. Occupational Safety and Administration Protocols

9. After a needlestick from an infected source patient, which bloodborne virus carries the highest risk of infecting an unvaccinated worker?

   • A.All three carry the same risk
   • B.Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
   • C.Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
   • D.Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
   Show answer

   D. Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

   ICE-3 · I. Prevention of Disease Transmission

10. Why does CDC advise against carpet and cloth-upholstered chairs in patient-care areas?

    • A.They make patients far too warm during long appointments
    • B.They are hard to clean and disinfect after contamination
    • C.They block the x-ray beam from reaching the sensor
    • D.They are banned by federal fire codes in all states
    Show answer

    B. They are hard to clean and disinfect after contamination

    ICE-34 · II. Prevention of Cross-contamination

What the study guide does

• Short study rounds and flip cards.
• A practice test built like the real one: 75 questions, 53 to pass.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing if you sat the test today, worked out from your own answers.
• An explanation for every answer.