Decontamination of dental instruments

Decontamination is the physical or chemical process that renders an inanimate object – that may be contaminated with harmful microbial life – safe for further handling.

The objective of decontamination is to protect patients, staff members and any other person from contracting diseases caused by microorganisms on those devices after the decontamination process. The decontamination of instruments is a complex process that includes:

Cleaning

This refers to the physical process of removing debris and soiling. The cleaning process is the first stage of the decontamination process and must be completed prior to disinfection, inspection and sterilisation.

Disinfection

This refers to a process using heat and/or chemicals to reduce the amount of living organisms to a level that is not harmful to a person’s health.