Evaluation of the performance of autoclave devices in dental centers of Ardabil province in 2018

Introduction: Recently, attention to infection control in dentistry is more important. Related between dental practices and deadly disease such as hepatitis B,C and AIDS is a cause for concern among dentists and patients. Removing germs from dental instruments should be done accurately; For this reason much emphasis has been placed on sterilization. To ensure correct operation, guaranteed effectiveness, reduce the cost of repairs, lower devices sleeping time, having a preventive maintenance and calibration program is essential. Sterilization equipment must be validation and calibration at least once a year. Considering the advancement of science and technology and obtaining accurate information and to minimize measurement errors, the use of electronic tools is absolutely essential. This study was designed to evaluate the performance of autoclave devices in dental centers of Ardabil province. Materials and Methods: Important parameters in sterilization of autoclaves are pressure, temperature and period of sterilization. This research is a cross-sectional analytical descriptive study that include 34 autoclave devices in dental centers of Ardabil province in private clinics and infirmary. In this study a device called the Data Logger was used. Pressure and temperature Data Loggers were put into the autoclave and give the time to autoclaving a cycle. At the end of the sterilization the pressure and temperature data of the device were elicited in tables and graphs completely by computer software. Results: The result of the study showed that among 34 autoclave devices,26 autoclaves had the correct function(76/5%) and 4 devices in terms of temperature and 4 devices in terms of temperature and pressure had not reached the standard level(total 8 devices (23/5%)) and sterilization was not performed on them. There was a significant related between the correct function of the device and the years of operation and with increasing age of using the autoclave, its performance was achieved in term of poor pressure and temperature. But between the correct function of the autoclave and its country of production, type of autoclave and by service centers(general dentists, specialist dentists, clinics) not meaningful related was found. Conclusion: According to the findings, having a regular maintenance and calibration program for autoclave devices is absolutely essential. Due to the fact that autoclave devices have become disadvantage over time, dentists need to replace modern autoclaves with worn out autoclaves