Key Points For Cleaning, Disinfecting And Sterilizing Dental Burs

With the development of oral medical technology, the popularization of oral hygiene knowledge and the enhancement of people's awareness of self-protection, the sanitation of oral medical services has gradually become an important issue of concern to people today. The problem of dental bur needle infection has attracted people's attention. There are two main ways for dental needles to cause cross-infection: First, surface contamination caused by the needle contacting the patient's saliva, blood, and debris during intraoral operations; Second, pathogens retained in the texture of the dental needle during treatment Microorganisms etc. Dental outpatient clinics have a large number of patients and high turnover rates, and the needle usage and turnover rates are very high. How to better avoid cross-infection is one of the important aspects of dental care.

Causes of rusty/blackened burs in dentistry:

1. 1.Material selection of the turning needle: the processing of the overall heat treatment of the turning needle, surface characteristics such as flatness and cleanliness.
2. 2.Human factors: operating, cleaning and disinfection conditions, usage time and cleaning and disinfection treatment cycles. According to the technical specifications for oral device sterilization, medium and low-risk oral devices should be stored in clean and dry containers after disinfection or sterilization. The storage time should not exceed 7 days.
3. 3.Chloride: Chloride can cause mild corrosion, which is manifested in some scattered corrosion points (small black spots), and is also the biggest cause of stress crack damage.

4.Main sources of chloride:

① Drinking water

② The water supply for final flushing and steam sterilization is not completely desalinated

③ When making soft water, there is regeneration salt residue or overflow in the ion exchanger.

④Irregular use of cleaning and disinfectants

⑤ Erosion by corrosive agents and drugs in isotonic solutions (physiological saline, etc.)

⑥ Organic residues, various liquids such as: blood, saliva

⑦ Storage of turning needles: Store them in a dry room at room temperature. If the temperature fluctuates greatly, condensation water will be generated in the plastic packaging and cause corrosion. Do not put it together with chemical agents because its dissolved products may emit corrosive gases (such as active chlorine).

Dental bur disinfection process:

#1 Pre-cleaning

After use, pre-rinse with running clean water and immediately soak the bur needle in an aldehyde-free disinfectant.

Things to note when soaking:

1. 1.Avoid soaking for too long (such as overnight or every other weekend), which may cause corrosion and affect the cleaning effect.
2. 2.The soaking solution should not allow the protein to coagulate, and avoid disinfectants containing aldehydes.
3. 3.The manufacturer’s instructions regarding concentration and soaking time must be followed.

#2 Cleaning/disinfection of bur needles

Manual cleaning

Clean instruments under running water and use a brush under running water to remove stubborn stains. If you clean ceramic burs, please use a nylon brush, otherwise black scratches will appear on the ceramic surface, which will affect the normal use of the burs.

Ultrasonic cleaning

1. 1.The cleaning temperature is 40-50 degrees, and should not exceed 50 degrees, otherwise it may cause blood coagulation.
2. 2.Choose appropriate cleaners and disinfectants, and add multi-enzyme cleaners to achieve better decontamination and protein decomposition effects.
3. 3.After ultrasonic cleaning, it is necessary to rinse thoroughly with fully desalted water (completely softened water) to avoid the formation of limestone precipitation.
4. 4.Change cleaning agents/disinfectants on time
5. 5.During operation, the blade and emery parts must not come into contact with metal parts.
6. 6.The instrument must be completely immersed in the cleaning solution, and the filling height of the immersion tank must reach the marked position.
7. 7.Place the instruments in a suitable holder or instrument basket to avoid affecting the ultrasonic cleaning effect.
8. 8.Articulated instruments and scissors must be in an open state
9. 9.Do not overfill the sieve tray
10. 10.Cavity instruments such as straws must be placed at an angle into the ultrasonic pool for exhaust, otherwise air waves will be formed that will affect the cleaning effect.

Precautions for ultrasonic cleaning: After disinfection, rinse thoroughly with soft water to avoid the formation of limestone deposits. Only then can it be dried.

#3 Drying of burs dentistry

After rinsing with soft water, dry the bur thoroughly before sterilizing. The first choice: air drying with compressed air (does not hurt the needle and is convenient); the second choice: wipe drying.

#4 Visual inspection

1. 1.If dirt remains, clean again
2. 2.Discard defective burs (such as blunt/missing blade, bent/broken, corrosion on the surface)

Precautions for visual inspection: It is recommended to use a magnifying glass with a magnification factor of about 8 times for inspection.

#5 Sterilize

Place the needle in appropriate packaging and perform high-pressure steam sterilization. 134 ℃ for at least 3 minutes; 120 ℃ for at least 15 minutes.

#6 Retrieval and storage

Store in a dust-free, dry environment to avoid re-contamination and record the date. Unsealed items: need to be sterilized again before use immediately.

Cleaning and disinfection of burs for dental is very important. Because it is related to protecting the health of doctors and patients and preventing cross-infection, it is very necessary to clean and disinfect dental burs on the basis of the current "one person, one machine" dental handpiece, and at the same time promote the work of "one person, one dedicated bur". It should fully attract the attention of medical staff.