#7 in a series

Practicing proper infection control procedures is the responsibility of every student, staff and faculty member with clinical responsibilities. With the fast-paced nature of the clinical environment, it is sometimes easy to overlook basic infection control policies. To help raise awareness about these issues, we've created this series of infection control reminders and pointers. For questions about infection control policies or more information, contact the School of Dentistry's Director of Health and Safety, Dr. Molly Newlon at: newlonm@dentistry.ucsf.edu.

How can you tell if your instruments are sterile? Do you know what is happening inside the autoclave? Two types of indicators are required to make these determinations.
  • Chemical Indicators Chemical indicators (autoclave tape) provide instantaneous feedback that a bactericidal temperature has been reached, however they must not be used as the sole indicator of sterility.


  • Biological Indicators A vial containing Bacillus Stearothermophilus is placed in the center of the packaged instruments in the autoclave. The bacillus is rendered unviable at 250 degrees F, or 121 degrees C. Purple or no change means that the load is sterile. Yellow or turbid change means the load is NOT sterile. Should a non-sterile result occur, the autoclave must be taken out of service immediately, until the problem is corrected.


Best regards,

Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc

Dean