Biological indicators: the gold standard to verify the sterilization steam in dentistry

Abstract

Infection control in dental practice is a daily necessity, the correct way to ensure safe environments is to disinfect medical equipment and sterilize materials and instruments. There are common failures in sterilization cycles in dental offices, caused by various factors, mainly a mechanical failure, and human error. Biological indicators are prepared from thermo-resistant bacterial spores, used to determine the quality of the sterilization processes. There are different types of indicators on the market, however, it is necessary to promote and publicize the use of biological indicators as means of verification of the sterilization process, since their use is not frequent as indicated in the NOM-013-SSA2-2015, which must be every two months.