STERILIZATION EFFECTIVENESS OF A HOT OIL BATH

¹ U. S. Naval Dental Center, Bethesda, Md.

(a) Sterile handpieces were consistently obtained by immersing them after use on each patient in Liquid Petrolatum, USP (Heavy) for a period of 2 minutes at a temperature of 250° Fahrenheit.

(b) Dental handpieces were well lubricated as a result of this method and remained so during operations in the mouth.

(c) Cold sterilization methods were ineffective, time consuming and damaging to the intricate gears in the handpiece.

(d) Boiling water was damaging to the gears in the handpiece and did not remove gross debris.

(e) No presently known method will remove debris such as mucous, tooth filings, pumice, etc., from the inside of the dental handpiece as does a solvent solution followed by the flushing action of hot oil.

(f) No simpler method could be found to clean, sterilize and lubricate such a mechanism so effectively in so short a period of time.

(g) Dental handpieces exposed to 14 months of oil sterilization procedures have resulted in no breakdown in the mechanism of the handpiece.

The complete immersion of dental handpieces in liquid petrolatum for a period of 2 minutes at a temperature of 250° F. following operation of the instruments in a suitable solvent solution does produce a degree of sterilization equal to that of boiling water, and, in addition, very materially prolongs the life of the handpiece.