Final answer:
Oral surgery instruments are classified as critical, semicritical, or noncritical, based on their contact with sterile tissues, mucous membranes, or intact skin, requiring sterile condition, high-level disinfection, or general cleanliness, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Oral surgery instruments are classified according to the degree of risk involved when they come into contact with patients. Specifically, these instruments are categorized as critical, semicritical, and noncritical. Critical items must be sterile because they will be used inside the body, often penetrating sterile tissues or the bloodstream; examples include surgical instruments, catheters, and intravenous fluids. Semicritical items, such as gastrointestinal endoscopes and respiratory therapy equipment, may contact mucous membranes or nonintact skin but do not penetrate tissues, requiring high-level disinfection but not necessarily sterilization. Noncritical items are those that may contact but not penetrate intact skin, such as bed linens and stethoscopes, which need to be clean but not highly disinfected.