A study of blood contamination of Siqveland matrix bands

Abstract

AimsTo use a sensitive forensic test to measure blood contamination of used Siqveland matrix bands following routine cleaning and sterilisation procedures in general dental practice. Materials and methods Sixteen general dental practices in the West of Scotland participated. Details of instrument cleaning procedures were recorded for each practice. A total of 133 Siqveland matrix bands were recovered following cleaning and sterilisation and were examined for residual blood contamination by the Kastle-Meyer test, a wellrecognised forensic technique. Results Ultrasonic baths were used for the cleaning of 62 (47%) bands and retainers and the remainder (53%) were hand scrubbed prior to autoclaving. Overall, 21% of the matrix bands and 19% of the retainers gave a positive Kastle-Meyer test, indicative of residual blood contamination, following cleaning and sterilisation. In relation to cleaning method, 34% of hand-scrubbed bands and 32% of handscrubbed retainers were positive for residual blood by the Kastle-Meyer test compared with 6% and 3% respectively of ultrasonically cleaned bands and retainers (P < 0.001). Conclusions If Siqveland matrix bands are re-processed in the assembled state, then adequate pre-sterilisation cleaning cannot be achieved reliably. Ultrasonic baths are significantly more effective than hand cleaning for these items of equipment.

Evaluation of biological debris on endodontic instruments after cleaning and sterilization procedures

“…The results of the study confirmed that the methods used to clean the instruments are unsuccessful. As a result, the authors suggested that disposable systems should be used to eliminate the risk of infection (Lowe et al. 2002b).…”

“…A total of 99% of the respondents, in addition to the use of an autoclave for the sterilization of instruments, used various cleaning methods before sterilization, which ranged from manual brushing to chemical immersion and ultrasonic cleaning. In a later study, Lowe et al (2002b) examined whether matrix bands contained residual blood deposits. They collected matrix bands and their retainers from dentists after they had been cleaned and sterilized according to the protocol of each dental practice.…”

Cleaning of rotary nickel–titanium endodontic instruments

“…Staining in situ with a general histological stain appears to be a practical approach. It has been used previously for evaluating blood contamination of matrix bands, using a forensic stain for haemoglobin (Lowe et al . 2002).…”

Contamination assessment of orthodontic bands after different pre-cleaning methods at a tertiary care hospital

“…A study conducted by Lowe et al (2002) assessed the contamination on used matrix bands by Kastle–Meyer test (Vennemann et al, 2014) and found that 21% of the matrix bands gave a positive test, indicating residual blood contamination, following manual scrubbing and sterilisation. The results show a high rate of contamination as compared to the results observed in our study.…”