Singularly important

A wide range of single-use disposable dental and surgical instruments is now produced by a number of manufacturers. Instruments are available for purchase either singly or as procedure kits and are priced to be a realistic alternative to decontaminating reusable instruments¹. Paradoxically, single use instrumentation is rarely seen as a viable alternative by dental professionals, who typically associate single-use with cheap unreliable plastic devices and a very limited product range.

In reality, a wide range of high quality hand instruments are now available from some manufacturers, including mirrors, probes, restorative instruments, endodontic instruments, minor oral surgical instruments and extraction forceps for both adult and paediatric use.