Auto vs manual

In the dental industry, instrument reprocessing is a critical aspect of ensuring patient safety. In the wake of the pandemic, upholding infection control and high levels of hygiene are non-negotiable when it comes to protecting patient’s and staff’s health and safety in healthcare environments. Therefore, when cleaning and reprocessing dental instruments, careful considerations must be made to ensure patient hygiene remains a top priority. As technology advances, dental professionals are presented with a choice between auto and manual instrument reprocessing methods for their practice.

Efficiency and compliance

In busy dental practices, time is of the essence. Attending to multiple patients a day, dental practitioners and nurses may require several different instruments per patient, requiring a hygienic and thorough cleaning after each use. Not only is hand-cleaning instruments more time-consuming, but it also provides a margin for error as any leftover residue, such as bone, flesh, or blood, can pose health risks and legal issues. With a washer disinfector, all used instruments can be placed into the machine, cleaning them all efficiently in a short amount of time. Afterward, they can be transferred into an autoclave for sterilisation. This process is more efficient and eliminates the risk of nurses injuring themselves on the instruments.