COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFICIENCY OF DIFFERENT CLEANING METHODS OF DENTAL INSTRUMENTS

• Published in: Romanian Journal of Oral Rehabilitation Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 416 - 423
• Main Authors: Balcoș Carina, Irina Bamboi, Livia Bobu, Irina Grădinaru, Loredana Hurjui, Vlad Dănilă, Adina Armencia, Oana Tănculescu, Iulia Săveanu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Romanian Society of Oral Rehabilitation 01.07.2023
• Subjects: dental instruments; manual cleaning; us cleaning
• ISSN: 2066-7000; 2601-4661

Decontamination of reusable medical devices is a key element of infection control in private practices. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the cleaning methods used in the dental office. Material and methods: The instruments taken from the dental office used during the treatment, consisting of manual and rotating endodontic needles and diamond burs were transferred to a container with detergent-disinfectant solution where from the office to the sterilization room. The initial evaluation of the armentarium is done in the sterilization room and the collected data were written in a file. After a period of 15 min. the armentarium was divided into 3 groups of 10 instruments each: group I – hand-cleaned instruments with a wire brush for 2 minutes under running water; – group II – instrument cleaning in the US bath for 15 min.; Group III – instrumentation initially cleaned in the US cleaning bath for 15 min., then manually for 2 min. Results: For the manually cleaned instrument the average value from 67.5 ± 25.85 to 10.36 ± 13.36; in US cleaning technique the average value decrease from 77.85 ± 22.16 to 8.57 ± 12.92 and in the combined cleaning (manual cleaning + US cleaning), the final value recorded being 86.92 ± 10.06, higher than the final average values obtained in the case of the other two groups. Conclusion: The most efficient method of cleaning the instrumentation is represented by the combination of manual cleaning with the US cleaning method (ultrasonic bath). Ultrasonic cleaning has proven to be more efficient than manual instrument cleaning, especially for diamond burs. Endodontic instruments have been cleaned more efficiently with manual cleaning than with US cleaning. It is necessary to carry out training courses to improve the level of knowledge on the need for proper processing of medical instruments to increase the safety of the medical act.