A study on dental instrument reprocessing management system based on wireless ICT and RFID technology

Purpose: This study aimed to implement a dental instrument reprocessing management system based on wireless ICT and RFID technology and evaluate its operational efficiency and applicability in the dental clinical setting. Materials and Methods: For the development of the instrument reprocessing system, hardware components including RFID tags, RFID readers, wireless internet devices, and a central server were integrated with software management programs. Once operational, the system collected information in real-time at each stage of the reprocessing workflow. System performance was evaluated in terms of stability, efficiency, and data accuracy. Results: During pilot operation, the system automatically recorded the reprocessing history of each instrument in chronological order. Functions such as verification of sterilization completion, real-time status monitoring, error detection in sterilization, and validity management were successfully implemented. Compared to traditional paper-based recording, instances of missing records and errors were significantly reduced, and rapid traceability was enabled in case of suspected infection events. Conclusion: The RFID-based dental instrument reprocessing management system can overcome limitations in repetitive and complex reprocessing workflows in dental practice, enhance operational efficiency, and provide tangible support for improving infection control standards.