#20 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.

With all sterilizers, exposure time and temperature are critical to ensure complete sterilization.

Sterilization Times and Temperatures for Packaged Items

Steam autoclave

Gravity displacement
Time: 30 min Temperature: 121 degrees C / 250 degrees F

Pre-vacuum sterilizer
Time: 4 min Temperature: 121 degrees C / 250 degrees F

Dry heat sterilizer

Static air
Time: 60 min Temperature: 170 degrees C / 340 degrees F
Time: 120 min Temperature: 160 degrees C / 320 degrees F
Time: 150 min Temperature: 150 degrees C / 300 degrees F

Forced air
Time: 12 min Temperature: 190 degrees C / 375 degrees F

Unsaturated Chemical Vapor

Time: 20 min Temperature: 132 degrees C / 270 degrees F

All sterilization equipment must be cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is important to always follow manufacturer instructions, as they may vary slightly from the above parameters.

Best regards,

Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc

Dean