Question

All high-speed dental handpieces, low-speed handpieces, rotary components, and dental unit attachments such as reusable air/water syringe tips and ultrasonic scaler tips, shall be packaged, labeled and heat-sterilized in a manner consistent with the same sterilization process as a ____________________ item:

a) One-time-use
b) Single-use
c) Multi-use
d) Disposable

Answer 1

Dental tools such as handpieces and scaler tips should be sterilized like multi-use items to ensure sterility for safe use in procedures that penetrate sterile tissues or the bloodstream.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the sterilization protocols for various dental instruments and attachments. According to sterilization standards for medical and dental tools, all high-speed dental handpieces, low-speed handpieces, rotary components, and dental unit attachments like reusable air/water syringe tips and ultrasonic scaler tips should be packaged, labeled, and heat-sterilized like a multi-use item. This ensures that these critical items are sterile, as they can penetrate sterile tissues or the bloodstream, requiring the highest level of sterilization to prevent any risk of infection. Heat-sterilization, such as autoclaving, is often employed to achieve this, which is more effective than dry-heat methods because the moist heat penetrates cells better.