All dental and surgical instruments must be disinfected, cleaned and sterilized at every use. Also new, non-sterilized instrument must be cleaned and sterilized before first use and must be treated following the steps hereafter described.

1 – Preconditioning
Immerse all instruments used in the mouth in a detergent and disinfectant solution immediately after use to avoid soiled materials dry onto instruments and to minimize contamination hazard. Use a container with a cap. Adhere strictly to the concentrations and reaction time given by the manufacturer of the cleaning agent and disinfectant. Disinfectants must be aldehyde-free.

2 – Cleaning
All operations aimed at removing soiled materials (particles, spots, etc.) from instruments fall within this category. Do not use corrosive detergents or acids (e.g. sodium hypochlorite NaClO). 
Rinse abundantly after preconditioning. Disassemble instruments, if applicable.
Manual cleaning:
-Use a soft brush not to damage the instrument.
- Do not use corrosive products.
- Do not use abrasive products.
- Use same detergent and disinfectant used for preconditioning to avoid contamination problems.
Adhere strictly to the concentrations and reaction time given by the manufacturer of the cleaning agent and disinfectant.
Ultrasonic cleaning:
- Use this procedure only on instrumentation that can withstand the process.
- Only use ultrasonic cleaning solutions.
- Only use cleaning agents compatible with the ones used for preconditioning.
Adhere strictly to the concentrations and reaction time given by the manufacturer of the cleaning agent and disinfectant.
Medical washer cleaning.
- Place and safely secure all instruments (machines specifically designed to hold instruments).
- Use suitable cleaning agents.
Adhere strictly to the concentrations and reaction time given by the manufacturer of the cleaning agent and disinfectant.

3 - Rinse
Carefully and abundantly rinse instruments with distilled or demineralized water after cleaning and disinfection.

4 – Drying
Sterilized intrumrnts must be first carefully dried with a clean, disposable, non-woven cloth or in a dryer or with filtered compressed air.

5 - Check
Carefully inspect all instruments for effectiveness of cleaning and damages. Damaged instruments must not be reused. Instruments that are still contaminated must be cleaned and disinfected again.
6 – Packing
Only applies to perfectly clean and dry instruments.

Re-usable packing:
Aluminium and stainless-steel watertight cases.
Trays with lid of the same material or thermo resistant plastics.

Disposable packing:
Plastic or coated paper bags and sheaths complying with NF EN 868 regulation.

7 – Sterilization
The effectiveness of sterilization depends on the correct implementation and execution of previous steps. Autoclave steam sterilization is the reference procedure which we recommend. Sterilization usually requires a constant 134°C / 273°F temperature for 18 minutes.

Controls after sterilization.
Surgical Instruments must be inspected for sterilization effectiveness at the end of every cycle. They must be perfectly dry after opening autoclave and remain unaltered at room temperature.
wet packages do not guarantee sterility. Each sterilized dental instrument must be labelled with cycle number, sterilization number, date of sterilization and expiration date. Create traceability for each sterilization procedure. Sterilized dental instruments must be also inspected right before use. Integrity of conditioning and expiration date must be verified as well.

8 – Storage
Containers with sterilized instruments must be stored in a dry place, a separate room or, if that is not possible, in a closed cabinet or drawers. Labels with date of sterilization and expiration date must be clearly displayed on packages. Sterilizer cleaning and maintenance Adhere strictly to the instructions given by the manufacturer for cleaning, routine checks and maintenance of the sterilizing equipment.