Sterilization

During the last few years sterilization has been given very careful study by the dentist. The requirements of a sterilization technique have become more exacting. The possibility of transmitting disease from one person to another, or that the operator may become infected from instruments used for dental operations, should not be minimized. The contention that, when operating in the mouth, the field is always contaminated, and that nature assists in protection, does not affect the possibility that bacteria foreign to the field may be imported. If there is need for aseptic technique in general surgery, there is need for it in oral surgery. Errors in the surgical technique of some dentists are quite apparent. Even where there has been a desire to practise according to the principles of complete sterilization, it has not always been practical to have an aseptic technique in the dental operating room. Sterilization may be accomplished with chemical substances, or such physical agents as drying, light, electricity, and heat. Immersion of instruments for from ten to fifteen minutes in boiling water has been the accepted practice for many years. The literature contains much practical work along all of these lines. The purpose of this paper is to outline a simple and practical aseptic technique for the sterilization of dental instruments and materials used in oral surgery, which has been adopted after careful study of all methods of sterilization. The dental schools, in training future dentists, must lead in the improvement of sterilization technique. This method has been adopted by Georgetown University for oral surgical procedures. There is every reason to believe that this method can be utilized also for other dental operations.