A Clinical and Microbiological Evaluation of the Disinfection Efficacy of Orthodontic Pliers

Disinfection and sterilization are, nowadays for dento-facial orthopedics as for all medical professions an unavoidable obligation, its objective is to prevent infectious risks both for the patient and the health care team. Objective: Checking the effectiveness of the disinfection process of orthodontic pliers. Material and Methods: This is a serial case study, carried out at the Zabana Dental Clinic of Blida University Hospital Centre and the Microbiology Unit of the Central Laboratory of the University Hospital centre unit Frantz Fanon. The study involved 54 orthodontic pliers. Each instrument was swabbed three swabs, one directly after contact with the patient’s oral cavity, and two after 10 and 15 minutes of disinfection. Results: Microbiological analysis showed that: 100% of the instruments orthodontic pliers collected not disinfected are contaminated by bacteria with polymicrobial cultures mainly composed of Streptococci, Neisseria and Micrococcus. 43.75% of Orthodontic pliers disinfected for 10 minutes are contaminated with bacteria. 24.07% of orthodontic pliers disinfected for 15 minutes are contaminated with bacteria. The disinfection rate of orthodontic pliers was 35.18% after the first disinfection time, and 75.92% after the second disinfection time with p < .05, the difference is significant. In the fight against infections associated with care and to reduce cross-infections transmission, sterilization of reusable instruments, and the use of medical to Single use is the best way to ensure the safety of patients and staff from infectious risk.