DOI:

10.37988/1811-153X_2025_3_167

The principles of controlling the effectiveness of instrument disinfection in dentistry

Authors

  • S.N. Kerasov 1, PhD student at the Prosthodontics and digital technologies Department
    ORCID: 0009-0004-3144-2781
  • M.S. Galstyan 1, assistant at the Prosthodontics and digital technologies Department
    ORCID: 0000-0002-3372-5775
  • S.D. Arutyunov 1, Doctor of Science in Medicine, full professor of the Prosthodontics and digital technologies Department
    ORCID: 0000-0001-6512-8724
  • I.P. Balmasova 1, Doctor of Science in Medicine, full professor of the Infectious diseases pathogenesis and treatment Lab
    ORCID: 0000-0001-8194-2419
  • E.S. Malova 2, Doctor of Science in Medicine, professor of the Internal medicine Department
    ORCID: 0000-0001-5710-3076
  • Y.N. Kharakh 1, PhD in Medical Sciences, associate professor of the Prosthodontics and digital technologies Department
    ORCID: 0000-0001-7181-8211
  • V.N. Tsarev 1, Doctor of Science in Medicine, full professor of the Microbiology, virology, immunology department
    ORCID: 0000-0002-3311-0367
  • M.Sh. Mustafaev 3, Doctor of Science in Medicine, professor, director of the Dentistry and maxillofacial surgery Institute
    ORCID: 0000-0002-4042-9421
  • T.Kh. Agnokova 3, PhD in Medical Sciences, associate professor of the Dentistry and maxillofacial surgery Institute
    ORCID: 0009-0000-8808-7670
  • 1 Russian University of Medicine, 127006, Moscow, Russia
  • 2 Medical University “REAVIZ”, 443001, Samara, Russia
  • 3 Kabardino-Balkarian State University, 360004, Nalchik, Russia

Abstract

Dental clinical practice creates an extremely high risk of developing and transmitting nosocomial infections and requires special attention to their prevention and control. In this paper we analyze the data of current literature characterizing the features of measures for instruments disinfection in dentistry and ways to control its effectiveness. Disinfection of medical instruments occupies one of the leading places in the system of measures for the prevention of cross-infection among doctors, patients and service personnel. The need to analyze this system of measures in modern dentistry is associated with a significant improvement in the technological provision of dental care to the patient, an increase in the level of knowledge in the field of its influence on the possibility of infectious agents transmission, the emergence of new methods of sterilization and disinfection and control of their microbiological effectiveness.
Conclusions.
The peculiarities of modern approaches to instruments disinfection in dentistry are determined by the invasive nature of therapeutic measures, as well as the need to adapt methods of sterilization, disinfection, and their microbiological control to the composition, design, and purpose of the instruments.

Key words:

nosocomial infection, dental instruments, sterilization, disinfection, microbiological control

For Citation

[1]
Kerasov S.N., Galstyan M.S., Arutyunov S.D., Balmasova I.P., Malova E.S., Kharakh Y.N., Tsarev V.N., Mustafaev M.Sh., Agnokova T.Kh. The principles of controlling the effectiveness of instrument disinfection in dentistry. Clinical Dentistry (Russia).  2025; 28 (3): 167—174. DOI: 10.37988/1811-153X_2025_3_167

References

  1. Volgenant C.M.C., de Soet J.J. Cross-transmission in the dental office: does this make you ill? —Curr Oral Health Rep. 2018; 5 (4): 221—228. PMID: 30524929
  2. Conway D.I., et al. SARS-CoV-2 positivity in asymptomatic-screened dental patients. J Dent Res. 2021; 100 (6): 583—590. PMID: 33779355
  3. Matys J., Grzech-Leśniak K. Dental aerosol as a hazard risk for dental workers. Materials (Basel). 2020; 13 (22): 5109. PMID: 33198307
  4. Kumar P.S., Subramanian K. Demystifying the mist: Sources of microbial bioload in dental aerosols. J Periodontol. 2020; 91 (9): 1113—1122. PMID: 32662070
  5. Dudding T., Sheikh S., Gregson F., Haworth J., Haworth S., Main B.G., Shrimpton A.J., Hamilton F.W., AERATOR group, Ireland A.J., Maskell N.A., Reid J.P., Bzdek B.R., Gormley M. A clinical observational analysis of aerosol emissions from dental procedures. PLoS One. 2022; 17 (3): e0265076. PMID: 35271682
  6. Tang J.W., et al. Dismantling myths on the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). J Hosp Infect. 2021; 110: 89—96. PMID: 33453351
  7. Xu R., Cui B., Duan X., Zhang P., Zhou X., Yuan Q. Saliva: potential diagnostic value and transmission of 2019-nCoV. Int J Oral Sci. 2020; 12 (1): 11. PMID: 32300101
  8. Yang X., Liu R., Zhu J., Luo T., Zhan Y., Li C., Li Y., Yu H. Evaluating the microbial aerosol generated by dental instruments: addressing new challenges for oral healthcare in the hospital infection. BMC Oral Health. 2023; 23 (1): 409. PMID: 37344797
  9. Tolegenova Zh.Zh., Tokanova Sh.E., Baibussinova A.Zh., Hismetova Z.A. Issues of ensuring the infectious safety of medical personnel and patients in the provision of dental care. Literature review. Science and Healthcare. 2021; 1: 30—41 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 45423029
  10. Khan H.A., Baig F.K., Mehboob R. Nosocomial infections: Epidemiology, prevention, control and surveillance. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2017; 7 (5): 478—482. DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtb.2017.01.019
  11. Siani H., Maillard J.Y. Best practice in healthcare environment decontamination. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2015; 34 (1): 1—11. PMID: 25060802
  12. Browning W.D., McCarthy J.P. A case series: herpes simplex virus as an occupational hazard. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2012; 24 (1): 61—6. PMID: 22296698
  13. Suzuki K., et al. Detection of aerosolized varicella-zoster virus DNA in patients with localized herpes zoster. J Infect Dis. 2004; 189 (6): 1009—12. PMID: 14999603
  14. McCarthy G.M., Ssali C.S., Bednarsh H., Jorge J., Wangrangsimakul K., Page-Shafer K. Transmission of HIV in the dental clinic and elsewhere. Oral Dis. 2002; 8 Suppl 2: 126—35. PMID: 12164646
  15. Redd J.T., Baumbach J., Kohn W., Nainan O., Khristova M., Williams I. Patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B virus associated with oral surgery. J Infect Dis. 2007; 195 (9): 1311—4. PMID: 17397000
  16. Jagger J., Puro V., De Carli G. Occupational transmission of hepatitis C virus. JAMA. 2002; 288 (12): 1469; author reply 1469—71. PMID: 12243628
  17. Cadmus S.I., Okoje V.N., Taiwo B.O., van Soolingen D. Exposure of dentists to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Ibadan, Nigeria. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010; 16 (9): 1479—81. PMID: 20735939
  18. Barben J., Kuehni C.E., Schmid J. Water quality in dental chair units. A random sample in the canton of St. Gallen. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed. 2009; 119 (10): 976—85. PMID: 19954129
  19. Pankhurst C.L., Coulter W.A. Do contaminated dental unit waterlines pose a risk of infection? —J Dent. 2007; 35 (9): 712—20. PMID: 17689168
  20. Zhang L., et al. Retrospective study on the effectiveness of a prevention strategy in a dental hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clin Oral Investig. 2021; 25 (10): 5815—5822. PMID: 33738652
  21. Ahmed M.A., et al. Fear and practice modifications among dentists to combat novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17 (8): 2821. PMID: 32325888
  22. Persoon I.F., Volgenant C.M.C., van der Veen M.H., Opdam N.J.M., Manton D.J., Bruers J.J.M. Impact of the coronavirus on providing oral health care in the Netherlands. Int Dent J. 2022; 72 (4): 545—551. PMID: 34706826
  23. Guo H., Zhou Y., Liu X., Tan J. The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the utilization of emergency dental services. J Dent Sci. 2020; 15 (4): 564—567. PMID: 32296495
  24. bKoukos G., Sakellari D., Arsenakis M., Tsalikis L., Slini T., Konstantinidis A. Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the oral cavity. Arch Oral Biol. 2015; 60 (9): 1410—5. PMID: 26151200
  25. Le M.N., Kayama S., Yoshikawa M., Hara T., Kashiyama S., Hisatsune J., Tsuruda K., Onodera M., Ohge H., Tsuga K., Sugai M. Oral colonisation by antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria among long-term care facility residents: prevalence, risk factors, and molecular epidemiology. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2020; 9 (1): 45. PMID: 32131899
  26. Rapala-Kozik M., et al. Living together: The role of Candida albicans in the formation of polymicrobial biofilms in the oral cavity. Yeast. 2023; 40 (8): 303—317. PMID: 37190878
  27. Rakhmanin Yu.A., Shibanov S.E., Kozulya S.V. Choice of sanitary-indicative microorganisms for the assessment of the safety of split-systems. Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian Journal. 2016; 3: 296—301 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 25843027
  28. Shalimova N.A., Sevbitov A.V., Filatov N.N., Zolotova E.V., Kuznetsova M.Yu. Selection criteria of methods of disinfection and sterilization of endodontic instruments. Sechenov Medical Journal. 2013; 1 (11): 20—23 (In Russian).
  29. Triggiano F., Veschetti E., Veneri F., Montagna M.T., De Giglio O. Best practices for disinfection in dental settings: insights from Italian and European regulations. Ann Ig. 2025; 37 (2): 292—301. PMID: 39698866
  30. Zemouri C., et al. Dental aerosols: microbial composition and spatial distribution. J Oral Microbiol. 2020; 12 (1): 1762040. PMID: 32537096
  31. Rutala W.A., Weber D.J. Disinfection and sterilization in health care facilities: An overview and current issues. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2021; 35 (3): 575—607. PMID: 34362535
  32. Bavykina T.Yu., Goncharov A.A. The method of quality control and automation of the stage of pre-sterilization processing of small tools. Challenges in Modern Medicine. 2023; 4: 376—383 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 60378738
  33. Vinh R., Azzolin K.A., Stream S.E., Carsten D., Eldridge L.A., Estrich C.G., Lipman R.D. Dental unit waterline infection control practice and knowledge gaps. J Am Dent Assoc. 2024; 155 (6): 515—525.e1. PMID: 38839239
  34. Dioguardi M., et al. Influence of sterilization procedures on the physical and mechanical properties of rotating endodontic instruments: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2021; 26 (12): 1697—1713. PMID: 34994183
  35. Dunaev S.A., Prokhorova E.V., Afanasyeva A.V., Ulyasheva Z.A., Borisov V.V., Pustokhina I.G. Negative effect of sterilization processes on the cutting ability of endodontic rotary instruments (review article). Journal of New Medical Technologies, EEdition. 2023; 1: 7—11 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 50389862
  36. Stawarz-Janeczek M., Kryczyk-Poprawa A., Muszyńska B., Opoka W., Pytko-Polończyk J. Disinfectants used in stomatology and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eur J Dent. 2021; 15 (2): 388—400. PMID: 33694135
  37. Uchoa-Junior F.A., Barata T.J.E., Leão-Vasconcelos L.S.N.O., Ribeiro E.L., Tipple A.F.V. Biofilm on and structural damage of rotary cutting instruments after 5 cycles of clinical use and processing. J Am Dent Assoc. 2023; 154 (6): 495—506. PMID: 37115139
  38. Boyle M.A., et al. Overcoming the problem of residual microbial contamination in dental suction units left by conventional disinfection using novel single component suction handpieces in combination with automated flood disinfection. J Dent. 2015; 43 (10): 1268—79. PMID: 26248229
  39. Yanushevich O.O., Arutyunov S.D., Buzin S.V., Podporin M.S., Romanenko I.I., Tsarev V.N. Device for gas-dynamic sterilization of medical tissues and equipment in supercritical media of carbon dioxide. Patent RU #2826520, effective from 22.00.2023 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 69916020
  40. Deshev A.V., Mustafayev M.Sh., Gvetadze R.Sh., Tsareva T.V., Antipov M.S., Bazhin P.M., Arutyunov S.D. Effect of alkaline disinfectants on microbial adhesion and anticorrosion properties of stainless steel medical instruments with cermet coatings. Clinical Dentistry (Russia). 2024; 4: 89—97 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 75204855
  41. Kotchenko R.G. Chemical and biological indicator for controlling the sterilization of medical devices. Patent RU #201570, effective from 12.10.2020 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 44621667
  42. Wirth N.M., Henrichs L.E., Savett D., Lien W., Crabtree M., Vandewalle K.S. Efficacy of various decontamination methods and sterilization on contaminated and inoculated diamond-coated burs. Gen Dent. 2022; 70 (1): 56—60. PMID: 34978992
  43. Chan H.W.A., Tan K.H., Dashper S.G., Reynolds E.C., Parashos P. Sterilization of rotary NiTi instruments within endodontic sponges. Int Endod J. 2016; 49 (9): 850—857. PMID: 26280766
  44. Williams D.W., Chamary N., Lewis M.A., Milward P.J., McAndrew R. Microbial contamination of removable prosthodontic appliances from laboratories and impact of clinical storage. Br Dent J. 2011; 211 (4): 163—6. PMID: 21869790
  45. Umar D., Basheer B., Husain A., Baroudi K., Ahamed F., Kumar A. Evaluation of bacterial contamination in a clinical environment. J Int Oral Health. 2015; 7 (1): 53—5. PMID: 25709369
  46. Kuştarci A., Akpinar K.E., Sümer Z., Er K., Bek B. Apical extrusion of intracanal bacteria following use of various instrumentation techniques. Int Endod J. 2008; 41 (12): 1066—71. PMID: 19133095
  47. Zahran S., Patel S., Koller G., Mannocci F. The impact of an enhanced infection control protocol on molar root canal treatment outcome — a randomized clinical trial. Int Endod J. 2021; 54 (11): 1993—2005. PMID: 34352123
  48. Dutil S., Veillette M., Mériaux A., Lazure L., Barbeau J., Duchaine C. Aerosolization of mycobacteria and legionellae during dental treatment: low exposure despite dental unit contamination. Environ Microbiol. 2007; 9 (11): 2836—43. PMID: 17922766
  49. Solomay T.V., Semenenko T.A. Measures aimed at preventing in medical institutions the transmission of Epstein—Barr virus infection (review). Hygiene and Sanitation, Russian Journal. 2021; 1: 36—41 (In Russian). eLIBRARY ID: 44655033
  50. Ganavadiya R., Chandra Shekar B.R., Saxena V., Tomar P., Gupta R., Khandelwal G. Disinfecting efficacy of three chemical disinfectants on contaminated diagnostic instruments: A randomized trial. J Basic Clin Pharm. 2014; 5 (4): 98—104. PMID: 25316989

Received

February 3, 2025

Accepted

September 1, 2025

Published on

September 21, 2025