"Autoclave Testing Service, Inc. | Biological Indicators | Dental Spore Testing | Chemical Indicators

Many of the following links will provide you with the most up to date information for recommended practices for your Dental practice. Some states have their regulations posted below hyperlinked to the corresponding law.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) www.cdc.gov

Recommended Infection-Control Practices for Dentistry, 1993. “Proper functioning of sterilization cycles should be verified by the periodic use (at least weekly) of biological indicators (i.e. spore tests). Heat sensitive chemical indicators (e.g. those that change color after exposure to heat) alone do not ensure adequacy of a sterilization cycle but may be used on the outside of each pack to identify packs that have been processed through the heating cycle. A simple and inexpensive method to confirm heat penetration to all instruments during each cycle is the use of a chemical indicator inside and in the center of either a load of unwrapped instruments or in each multiple instrument pack; this procedure is recommended for use in all dental practices. Instructions provided by the manufacturers of medical/dental instruments and sterilization devices should be followed closely.”

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 41(RR-8), May 28, 1993

ADA (American Dental Association) www.ada.org

“This report is based on the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see the CDC recommendations above) and other publications in the medical and dental literature. The recommendations in this document have been accepted by the Council on Scientific Affairs and the Council on Dental Practice. The Councils strongly urge practitioners and dental laboratories to comply with these infection control practices…Since this document is not intended to cover every aspect of infection control compliance, the dentist, his or her staff and that of dental laboratories should refer to the referenced publications.” Infection Control Recommendations for the Dental Office and the Dental Laboratory

Ø See also ADA.org: AZ Topics: Infection Control Recommendations
“... Maintain a log of spore test results. Check with your state dental board to determine how long you need to keep spore testing records. “
www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/icontrol/art_sterilization.asp -33k

ANSI / AAMI (American National Standards Institute Inc. / Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) www.aami.org

“Biological indicators should be used within PCDs for routine sterilizer efficacy monitoring at least weekly, but preferably every day that the sterilizer is in use.” ANSI/AAMI ST79:2006, Section 10.5.3.2

To view a State’s law regarding spore testing, click directly onto the State.

STATE	Test Frequency Required	LINK TO STATE LAW
Alabama	Weekly *	http://www.dentalboard.org/pdf/dentalpracticeact.pdf
Alaska
Arizona	Weekly *	http://www.azdentalboard.org/pdfdocuments/substantive_policy.pdf
Arkansas	Monthly	http://www.asbde.org/dentalpracticeact/dental_practice_act.pdf
California	Weekly	http://www.dbc.ca.gov/lawsregs/regulations/ch1_article1.htm#1005
Colorado	Weekly *	http://www.dora.state.co.us/DENTAL/RULES.pdf
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida	Every 40 hours or at least Monthly	https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFILE.asp?sid=0&tid=2394850&type=1&file=64B5-25.003.doc
Georgia	Weekly *	http://www.sos.state.ga.us/acrobat/PLB/Rules/chapt150.pdf
Hawaii	Weekly *
Idaho	Weekly *	http://adm.idaho.gov/adminrules/rules/idapa19/0101.pdf
Illinois		http://www.isds.org/lawsLegislation/ILDentalPracticeAct/index.asp
Indiana	Weekly
Iowa	Weekly *	http://www.state.ia.us/dentalboard
Kansas	Test every 6 days of use or at least tested monthly	http://www.accesskansas.org/kdb/Documents/Dentalpracticesactregsandrelatedlaws406.pdf
Kentucky
Louisiana	Weekly	http://www.Isbd.org/applications/Dental%20Practice%20Act202006.pdf
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts	Weekly *	http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/regs/234cmr002.pdf
Michigan
Minnesota	Weekly *	http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/arule/6950/1030.html
Mississippi	Weekly *	http://www.msbde.state.ms.us/msbde/msbde.nsf/webpages/Laws_lawsregs/$File/lawsregs.pdf
Missouri	Weekly *	http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c100-199/1910000694.htm
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada	Weekly *
New Hampshire	Weekly *	http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXX/317-A/317-A-17.htm
New Jersey
New Mexico	Weekly *	http://www.rld.state.nm.us/dental/PDF/16.05.01%20Proposed.pdf
New York
North Carolina	Weekly *	http://www.ncdentalboard.org/pdf/RulesRevised.pdf
North Dakota
Ohio	Weekly	http://www.dental.ohio.gov/pdfs/laws2005.pdf
Oklahoma	Weekly	http://www.dentist.state.ok.us/2007rules.pdf
Oregon	Weekly	http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARS_800/OAR_818/818_012.html
Pennsylvania	Weekly *	http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter33/s33.211.html
Rhode Island	Weekly *	http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/dar_filing/regdocs/released/pdf/DOH/4863.pdf
South Carolina	Weekly *	http://www.scstatehouse.net/coderegs/c039.htm
South Dakota	Weekly *	http://legis.state.sd.us/rules/DisplayRule.aspx?Rule=20:43:04:03
Tennessee	Weekly *	http://www.state.tn.us/sos/rules/0460/0460-02.pdf
Texas	Weekly *	http://www.tsbde.state.tx.us/documents/rules/Rules-Regulations-Feb07.pdf
Utah
Vermont	Weekly	http://www.vtprofessionals.org/opr1/dentists/pubs/dentnews2005.pdf
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia	Weekly *	http://www.wvdentalboard.org/NEWSLETTER%20FALL%202007.pdf
Wisconsin	“at least Weekly”	http://drl.wi.gov/boards/den/digest/20001000.pdf
Wyoming

* this State has adopted infection control standards as recommended by the CDC or ADA

DISCLAIMER: This information has been disclosed to ATS visitors as a courtesy and is intended as a general information resource only. ATS takes no responsibility regarding the accuracy of the information provided. Although every effort has been made to make the information provided herein accurate and timely, users should understand that State laws are constantly being revised and updated. Please rely on the official State versions of their rules, laws, statutes, and policy. (If you do discover inaccuracies, we would appreciate being notified as soon as possible so that we can correct it for others. Thank you).

ONLINE STORE: (SELECT YOUR COUNTRY)

	Title	Description
	Biological Indicators (Spore Testing)	In-Office and Mail-To-Lab Testing! Verify the sterilization process of all steam sterilizers which include Statim, Midmark, Tuttnauer, Lisa, Mocom and Pelton & Crane sterilizers. In-Office Testing as low as $1.59/test! Mail-To-Lab Testing as low as $2.96/week!
	Bowie-Dick Tests	Bowie-Dick Test Packs should be used daily to evaluate the performance of air-removal (vacuum) system of dynamic pre-vacuum type sterilizers. Available as test cards or preassembled test packs. As low as $2.98 per test!
	Chemical Indicators, Class 5 Integrators	Internal CI’s should be used within each pouch or package, tray, or container. Class 5 Integrators should be used in conjunction with physical monitoring and biological indicator testing for verifying the efficacy of a sterilization system. (See AAMI ST79:2006)
	Indicator Tape	Indicator tapes provide a seal for sterilization packs and an immediate identification of processed items. Dispensers available for all sizes.
	Recordkeeping	Recordkeeping is a must for all sterile processing departments. This ensures accountability and allows operators to trace errors to their source. Tips on sterilizer maintenance and technical advice are included with each book.
	Sterilization Crepe Paper	Teal green Crepe Paper is compatible with types of sterilization processes including Steam, EO Gas, and Gamma Radiation. Click here to see all sizes!
	Sterilization Pouches/Bags	Our easy peel-and-seal pouches work with Steam, Chemical Vapor, and Ethylene Oxide Gas sterilization procedures. Choose from 13 different sizes!
	Sterilization Tubing	Our high quality sterilizer tubing comes in 3 different sizes. Buy in case quantity and save!
	Sterilization Wrap	Blue non-woven SMS wrap and teal green crepe paper are compatible for most sterilization processes. Click here for available sizes.
	Sterilizer Cleaner	Click to view all brands of sterilizer cleaner! We stock Duraclean, Omni-Cleaner, Chamber-Brite.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED:

Antibody

Accreditation Standards

Antibody

Autoclave

Autoclave Log Record Keeping - R1.22.08

Autoclave Testing

Bacillus Atrophaeus Spores

Bioburden

Biofilms

Biological indicator

Bloodborne Pathogens

Bowie-Dick Type Test

CDC (The Center For Disease Control)

Central Instrument Processing Area

Chemical Indicator

Chemical Vapor Sterilization

Cleaning - Manually

Cleaning - Mechanically

Cleaning Instruments - Manual or Automated

Contaminated

Control biological indicator

Decontamination

Disassembly

Disinfectant

Distilled Water

Dry Heat Sterilizers

Ethylene Oxide Sterilization

Event-Related Packaging

Flash Sterilization

Geobacillus stearothermophilus Spores

Germicide

Huck towel

Implantable device

Full services provider in the United States and Canada for biological indicators, chemical indicators, spore testing, autoclave testing.

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