[Hygienic processing of dental transmission instruments (handpieces and instruments, turbines) in dental practice]

The efficacy of a steam disinfection method for the processing of used instruments in dental practice was tested with 274 high-speed turbines and handpieces. The instruments treated with streaming steam were both taken out of the dental practice of treatment and artificially contaminated with five different test-microorganisms (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, E. faecium, C. albicans) and different concentrations of serum (1%, 10%, 20%). In spite of the narrow channels of these instruments a microbial reduction of more than 5 log10 steps could be achieved in all cases. Thus dental high-speed turbines and handpieces can reliably be disinfected with streaming steam.