The Sterilization Room | TTB
The Sterilization Room is a space where the dental staff come in and out many times. With that being said, the sterilization room may have a possibility of overcrowding and this can cause problems with the team members bumping into each other that can risk damage and injury. Because of this reason, the sterilization room has to have the characteristics that ensure safety and quality. The size of the sterilization depends on the size of the office, quantity of treatment rooms, and the number of patients in the clinic. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that the size should be enough for the staff to work in the room and for the items to be stored. Below are ways to manage and clean the sterilization room.
How to Manage the Sterilization Room
- Give the room a good amount of space and a good location
- The staff can drop the instruments when transporting them if there isn’t enough space and other staff members are around.
- Cross-contamination can occur if not separated in different areas
- Locate this space closer to the treatment rooms to minimize traveling to the rooms
- CDC says that the sterilization room should have 4 sections
- Receiving, cleaning, and disinfecting
- Preparation and packaging
- Sterilization
- Storage
- Switching the trays and pouches to cassettes
- You can eliminate loose instruments sliding off during transportation, finding the right instruments is time consuming trays require an extra step to be disinfected
Keeping the Sterilization Room Clean
- Protect yourself
- Wear eyewear, face masks, impermeable smocks, and gloves to avoid microbial contamination
- Pre-soak the instruments
- Biological debris can harden and dry out, making it difficult to remove
- Clean before you steam
- You can do this by ultrasonic cleaning, automated instrument washers, or manually scrubbing them
- Dry the instruments
- Wet packaging can produce bacteria and moisture which increases the risk of contamination
- Package the instruments
- They should be sealed to prevent the air’s exposure
- Carefully load the instruments
- Overloading the sterilizers is the main cause for failed sterilizations
Sources:
https://www.hu-friedy.com/blog/6-critical-steps-cleaning-and-protecting-your-dental-instruments
https://www.hu-friedy.com/blog/your-dental-sterilization-area-setup-efficient-or-bottleneck
https://prosystem.euronda.com/the-sterilisation-room/
Written by: Eveline Chaidez
