(bar'ē-ĕr prŏ-tek'shŭn) A physical obstacle protecting the health care provider from contact with potentially infective fluids from a patient such as blood, mucus, or saliva.
bar·ri·er pro·tec·tion
(bar'ē-ĕr prŏ-tek'shŭn) Placing a physical barrier between the patient's body fluids (e.g., blood, saliva) and dental care personnel to prevent disease trans-mission.