When a patient is seated in the operatory, s/he assumes that the packaged instruments on the bracket table have been properly cleaned and sterilized. The patient may be confident that these instruments are safe for dental care, or the patient may express concern—or yet remain silent but worry. Dental team members may experience similar concerns, even when following proper policies and protocol. The question remains: Since sterility cannot be seen, how can we be assured that dental instruments have been adequately cleaned and sterilized? This CE webinar will address instrument cleaning validation as the first step to ensure the delivery of sterile instruments for safe patient care - because “partially sterile” is NOT an option.

At the end of this CE webinar, attendees will be able to:
• Review the instrument processing pathway as recommended in CDC Guidelines for infection control in dental healthcare settings—2003.
• Discuss the importance of instrument cleaning.
• Describe methods of validation to ensure that equipment used for instrument cleaning is functioning properly.
• Describe the importance of mechanical, chemical and biological monitoring.
• Describe how to implement validation and monitoring applications into YOUR practice.   ( disclaimer , AGD PACE Statement )