Methods of Steralization of various materials in Dental clinic

Steralization of various materials in dental clinic are very important to maintain proper hygiene and to prevent cross infection from patient to patient or patient to the dentist or dental assistants. In dental clinic there are different types of materials used and because of this all materials cannot be steralized similarly and hence various materials are steralized in different manners.

For a Detailed Description of Sterilization in Endodontics (go to this link): Sterilization in Endodontics

Here we are going to list out the various types of Dental equipment and the particular method of  steralization:

1. Rubber gloves, Surgical instruments and most culture media: Autoclave
2. Forceps, Scalpel, Scissors and Needles: Hot air oven
3. All suture materials except Catgut: Autoclave
4. Catgut: Ionizing radiation
5. Disposable syringes: Ethylene Oxide
6. Suture materials: Gluteraldehyde
7. Hospital wastes: Incinerator
8. Operation theatres: Fumigation with formaldehyde, and radiation treatment
9. Vacines/Serum/Antibiotic solutions: Filtration
10. Preparation of skin for surgery: Iodine, Spirit, Savalon, Chlorhexidine .. etc
11. Absorbent points, Broaches, Files and other Root canal instruments: Glass bead Sterilizer or Hot salt Sterilizer
12. Cotton pliers, Cement Spatulas: Pass the instrument working end over the flame for few times
13. Dappen dish, Glass slab: Swab the surface with tincture of thermosal followed by double swabbing with alcohol
14. Guttapercha Cone: Immersing in 5.2% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min followed by rinsing with H2O2 and drying
15. Silver Cones: Slowly pass them back and forth through a Bunsen flame for 3 or 4 times (or) by immersing in hot salt sterilizer for 5 seconds
16. Loeffler’s serum lope, Lowenstein Jensen’s medium: Inspissator
17. Sugar media: Tyndallisation or intermittent sterilization