Sterilization Standards

Effecting very strict hygiene policies, an infection control system is placed to ensure stringent health and safety requirements. Our dental instruments are precise which require regular maintenance and check up. All our dental equipment and instruments are maintained and sterilized according to international standards with CE certified sterilization machines. These very high standards have help attract many companies, schools and airlines to sign corporate contracts with us.

We have been a focus of attention as dental instruments are possible agents for pathogenic transmission from patient to patient, from patient to doctor and vice versa. We carry out all possible sterilization and disinfection procedures needed for infection control. This is provided to each and every patient to prevent the transmission of the Tuberculosis, AIDS virus, Hepatitis, Tetanus and other infectious diseases. We use appropriate protective garb such as gloves, and masks. After each patient visit, the gloves are discarded, hands are washed and a new pair of gloves is used for the next patient. The disposable items like needles, syringes, patients drapes are for one time use only and are disposed off after single use is obvious.

Sterilization is the complete elimination or destruction of all forms of microbial life and is accomplished in healthcare facilities by either physical or chemical processes. Disinfection describes a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects with the exception of bacterial spores. Method of sterilization that may be used for these instruments and materials that are heat stable include steam under pressure (autoclave), chemical (formaldehyde) vapors, and dry heat.

Out of these three methods steam under pressure i.e. autoclaving is the most dependable method of sterilization. All of our dental instrument including our handpieces are sterilized to 135 degree Celsius using a vaporizing effect created from high pressure pushing heat thoroughly all over and through every part of the instrument, even a very tiny spaces.

At Sea Smile Dental Clinic, we carry out a 4 STEP sterilization standard for all non-disposable items:

Step 1

The dental instruments are scrubbed thoroughly to discard debris.

Step 2

The dental instruments are than rinsed in ultrasonic cleaner. Later, our dental appliances are individually packed and sealed by our impulse auto-sealer machine then autoclaved by our pre-vacuumed autoclave.

Step 3

Autoclaving is the best way of sterilizing instruments. We at our end, carry out autoclaving of instruments in our Autoclave machine prior to any type of treatments done to the patients. Our autoclaves set the standard for steam Sterilization. This autoclave is designed to compliment any healthcare and medical facility.

In order to confirm the proper working of the autoclave machine we use indicator strips to test and hence ensure that the instruments are properly autoclaved.

All dental equipments and instruments are maintained and sterilized according to international standards with CE certified sterilization machines. These very high standards have help attract many companies, schools, airlines and embassies to sign corporate contracts with us.

Step 4

Packed sterilized instruments are kept in U.V. Chamber to maintain sterilization.

To ensure a bacteria free environment at the clinic we carry out fumigation process every week wherein, the whole clinic is treated with chemical fumes to see that the treatment environment remains bacteria free.

Additionally, we also use the Attest^® Biological Monitoring System by 3M ESPE to verify the effectiveness of our sterilization efforts. The 3M Attest^® sterilization is a proven and reliable system with a 20-year product history using biological indicator system for monitoring steam sterilization. This is used to ensure that our sterilization control and standard are well-maintained and above the required standards.

Features of the 3M Attest^® Biological Monitoring System:

• Self-contained biological indicators significantly reduce the possibility of contamination, minimizing false positives and ensuring more accurate results.
• Incubator automatically crushes vial to release medium, making it safer and easier to use than other systems.
• 14-vial capacity to meet the needs of both small and large offices.
• See-through cover allows for easy observation and reading of indicator color change.
• Dry-block design is pre-set to proper incubation temperature to ensure consistent, accurate results.
• System is color-coded for quick reference and easy use.