Improving and monitoring autoclave performance in dental practice.

The sterilisation of instruments is central to the infection control process in the dental surgery, with the autoclave being most frequently used for this process. For effective operation, among other factors, it is essential that the autoclave is loaded correctly and tested regularly to ensure that it is operating at a temperature and pressure which will kill all micro-organisms. Biological indicators are another method of verifying the sterilisation process, since the sterilisation of the bacterial spores within the test ampoule provides a guarantee that sterilising conditions have been achieved.