Sterilisation process

Tools used in dentistry require sterilisation. The tools that are in contact with the patient during treatment are always subjected to a sterilisation process or are disposed of when the treatment is completed. In addition, all dental rooms are equipped with appliances to facilitate proper sterilisation. A properly sterilised piece of equipment is aseptic – meaning that it does not contain any living micro-organisms, spores or toxins. During the process of sterilisation both vegetative forms of micro-organisms and spores are destroyed.

At Dentin an autoclave (steam sterilizer) by the well known manufacturer Melag is used in the sterilisation process. This is a vacuum fractionated Class B appliance. By class B we mean these autoclaves which have the same functions as hospital autoclaves. Vacuum fractionation is currently the best technique available, allowing sterilisation of all types of products.

During the sterilisation process before tools are placed in an autoclave they go through several preliminary cleaning stages. First they are washed and disinfected using specialised solutions either in a dishwasher for cleaning medical instruments or in a machine which uses ultrasound in its cleaning process. Devices are then dried and put in a special sterilising sleeve which lets steam permeate through. Each sleeve is precision sealed and labelled. The sleeve also contains a chemical indicator which changes colour after it reaches the required level of sterilisation.

At Dentin we also systematically prepare sterilisation reports, containing information on: the type of sterilisation, process parameters, sterilizer number and cycle number, the results of chemical control, the results of biological control, date and the person responsible for the process.