Evaluation of dental autoclave sterilization through biological monitoring

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of autoclave sterilization at dental offi ces by means of biological indicators and questionnaires, as well as to know the clinical practice of processing the contaminated instruments. Three biological indicators (close to the fi lter, at the center and close to the door) were intro duced into 40 autoclaves along with instruments. Next, indicators (test and control) were incubated for 48 hours in order to check the culture medium. The test-indicators had a change in the color of the culture medium from purple to yellow in 14 (35%) of autoclaves. Most dental surgeons (DS) associate other sterilization methods, such as chemical and dry heat, with damp heat. No Dental Surgeon routinely use biological monitoring at their offi ces. From the 31 Dental Surgeons(77.5%) who use physical and/or chemical control of sterili zation, only 74.2% do it every cycle. The great majority of DS (75%) use the envelope for packing instruments. However, 77.5% of them do not write the sterilization date on the package. It was concluded that 35% of the analyzed autoclaves did not perform the instrument sterilization process and that some flaws during processing of the contaminated instruments still occur and should be corrected.