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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Microfluidic Applications for Disposable Diagnostics
Published on: February 3, 2008
A pragmatic approach towards single-use-disposable devices in dentistry
Raghunath Puttaiah1, Robert Cederberg, Dennis Youngblood
1Diagnostic Science, Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M University System - Health Science Center, Dallas, 3302 Gaston Ave, Dallas, Texas 75246, USA.
Abstract:
Disinfection and decontamination including sterilization of devices take a lot of time. For the sake of convenience and hygiene, there are many non-sterile and sterile single-use-disposable supplies available for safe provision of dental care. Some reusable devices cannot be adequately cleaned and therefore sterility may not be assured, therefore, single-use-disposable devices play an important role in replacing such reusable devices. Single-use-disposable devices are commonly used in dentistry as they are easy to use and can be discarded after one use. All devices/instruments/supplies that enter the oral cavity should be sterile reusable items or sterile or non-sterilie single-use-disposable items. In this paper we address comprehensively the rationale for use of such devices and also the pragmatic use of such devices in dentistry.
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