The main goal of sterilization is to guarantee that all instruments and materials are safe at the time of use in order to protect all persons involved from any risk of cross-infection (patient-doctor-patient).
All instruments that come into contact with mucous membranes and/or blood are considered high risk. We all know that post-use application of sterilization protocols is compulsory as it is essential for safeguarding patients' health as per Italian Legislative Decree n. 81 of 9 April 2008 concerning workplace hygiene and safety, and the Gelli Decree, in force since 1 April 2017, which imposes strict safety practices to ensure patients receive adequate and, above all, low-risk healthcare.
Indeed, in the event of a dispute, dentists are liable for damages and therefore need to be able to demonstrate they have adopted adequate procedures for sterilization of used instruments and that they have implemented all preventive measures.
That's why sterilization is clearly essential to preventing any risk of cross-infection.
The need for truly effective sterilization.
Every dentist knows that a dental instrument reconditioning process involves some 6-7 steps; collection and decontamination, washing, disinfection, drying, packaging, autoclave sterilization, traceability: these steps guarantee quality sterilization, minimising the risk of contamination. In order for the process to be totally safe, each step needs to be monitored, checked and recorded.
This approach results in a highly complex protocol. Moreover, it's vital to have a machine capable of reliably handling the heavy workloads involved. This is why using a device that carries out the first four stages of the process - decontamination, washing, disinfection and drying - constitutes the ideal solution for guaranteeing process repeatability and consistent performance.
The market offers several machines capable of responding to sterilization cycle requirements; however, few of these can provide full effectiveness, especially if we consider the impact on workflow, environmental sustainability and traceability.
Solutions. Right where you need them
Mocom provides an innovative device that replaces the numerous pre-sterilization tasks and reduces operator workload; one of the highest-performing dental thermal disinfectors available, the Tethys H10 Plus makes the instrument reconditioning process simpler and more practical than ever.
Integrating the first four steps of the sterilization process provides considerable advantages; the Tethys H10 Plus lets you:
Having a device like the Tethys H10 Plus means you can count on integration of pre-wash, ultrasound wash, thermal disinfection and drying with unprecedented levels of reliability and safety.
The interface has been meticulously designed: for example, the Tethys H10 Plus has a colour LCD touch screen - with icon-style multilingual menus - that allows for extremely user-friendly interaction. Controls can be fully personalised and, once the programme has been selected and the cycle activated, everything proceeds automatically. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, the Tethys H10 Plus ensures dentists can record all disinfection cycle data. Imagine the advantage of having data that lets you keep each stage under careful control, data that can also be downloaded in pdf format: with Tethys H10 Plus, you can.
Always.
Furthermore, the Tethys H10 Plus is the only machine in its category to integrate a water softening system to prevent the build-up of limescale and other impurities; this reduces running costs (which, of course, also include maintenance, designed to be as simple and practical as possible).
To find out more about all the Tethys H10 Plus features, just click here.