Disinfecting

[PGguy]

How does everyone disinfect the impressions?

I spray it with cavicide or germicide. I don't like the mist from the spray and breath that crap. I was thinking of having a bowl and dipping it. My question is...Is my bowl now contaminated or ???

 

[CatamountRob]

I would think if your bowl is full of Cavicide, it ought to be pretty well disinfected. Rob

 

[kcdt]

How does everyone disinfect the impressions?

I spray it with cavicide or germicide. I don't like the mist from the spray and breath that crap. I was thinking of having a bowl and dipping it. My question is...Is my bowl now contaminated or ???

If the disinfectant is hospital grade and there is no bioburden, then any disinfectant that allows for multiple immersions should be fine for the life of that mix. I use Birex in that fashion.

 

[corbett]

Get a test kit from your local health inspector and start using clorox, you would be surprised at how little it takes to disinfect and sanitize. It is about as harsh as swimming pool water and almost a cheep. Mix your sodium hypochlorite and test with the test paper for proper concentration. Dont let any one convince you there is anything more effective or more practical. Google it, all kinds of studies out there, no one promotes it because there is no$$$ to be made.

 

[PGguy]

I would think if your bowl is full of Cavicide, it ought to be pretty well disinfected. Rob

LOL. I hear ya, I'm just confused about the issue

 

[PGguy]

Get a test kit from your local health inspector and start using clorox, you would be surprised at how little it takes to disinfect and sanitize. It is about as harsh as swimming pool water and almost a cheep. Mix your sodium hypochlorite and test with the test paper for proper concentration. Dont let any one convince you there is anything more effective or more practical. Google it, all kinds of studies out there, no one promotes it because there is no$$$ to be made.

What's your ratio?

 

[kcdt]

Get a test kit from your local health inspector and start using clorox, you would be surprised at how little it takes to disinfect and sanitize. It is about as harsh as swimming pool water and almost a cheep. Mix your sodium hypochlorite and test with the test paper for proper concentration. Dont let any one convince you there is anything more effective or more practical. Google it, all kinds of studies out there, no one promotes it because there is no$$$ to be made.

Yes and no; if all I'm disinfecting is impervious to chlorine, then yes, it's great. But you can't disinfect steel instruments and burs, or any sort of acetal resin,
It's not what I would use in any acrylic or resin production...WAY too chemically aggressive in ways that can damage the quality of your work.
On the other hand, if C&B impressions in PVS were all I was worried about, then, yeah, its a good choice.

 

[corbett]

I think the question was what to disinfect impressions with. My ratio is 3 tbs/ gal and acording to the test paper that is more than adiquate. When you eat at most restaurants your dishes are washed in much less. Clorox leaves a residual film that should be rinsed from sharp edges of burrs and instruments. I think that at this ratio that is also trivial.

 

[corbett]

I think that a diluted solution of water and clorox is recomended by some denture acrylic manufacturers for heavy stains and odor.

 

[kcdt]

I think that a diluted solution of water and clorox is recomended by some denture acrylic manufacturers for heavy stains and odor.

I don't think I've ever read that, I'll double check, but most research tends toward a rapid degradation of PMMA in sodium hypochloride.

 

[karabear]

I am not versed in such things, but from what I understand 1 ounce of bleach in a gallon of water is enough to chlorinate it-for drinking purposes. It is a wonder-liquid, spores, viruses, bacteria, etc. Bleach is only good for a day, and probably less if you are double-dippin'. Organic matter inactivates it- blood, etc. It and its fumes are also corrosive to metals, as opposed to some other disinfectants. It also requires a submersion time of anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes depending on the temperature, but it is great for surfaces, especially if you are already wearing white! The CDC recommends 1/4 cup to one gallon of water but I think it was one cup to one gallon in my Air Force manuals...cant remember

 

[kcdt]

I think the question was what to disinfect impressions with.

Well there are labs that preform denture repairs out there, for one. For two, what about finished work? Don't you have outgoing disinfection requirement in your GMP?
Sodium Hypochloride is great, but it does have shortcomings in terms of its aggressiveness chemically.
In order for this to qualify as a hospital grade disinfectant, you need to mix at higher ratios (see Karabear's post). The mix suitable for sanitizing dishware is not sufficient. If you have employees, you need to make sure you're in compliance with federal guidelines, or you could be considered to have a hazardous workplace.

 

[karabear]

I looked up my CDT study questions and
one said that bleach containing disinfectants
distort alginates. It also said dilute 1 part bleach
with 2 parts water. The Air Force manuals say
a 1:5 part ratio is sufficient for an "intermediate"
level of disinfection. Whew. Now I am really
confused.

 

[corbett]

The only way to disinfect an alginate is to use something like chlorhexidine in the place of water when mixing the alginate. When alginate is torn open there is a new surface that is contaminated and exposed that has not been touched by disinfectant. Stone is different, disinfectants penetrate stone. Nothing is there to protect you from whats trapped in alginate when you separate it from the model and it tears. Im not trying to sell clorox but I know a good number of you don't use anything to disinfect contaminated materials coming into your work space. Clorox is cheep, it works very well on stone models. E-coli, rhinovirus, aids and hepatitis don't survive direct exposure to a 1:100
ratio of simple clorox. Good protocol and cheep materials are better than bad protocol and a false sense of security. When I was coming up in the 80's no one knew how far HIV was going to mutate, the very best disinfectant was considered back up protection from accidental exposure and nothing more. Thats how I operate to this day. Here is something to think about. A person can cough up a big gob of phlegm and expel it into a cup of Cidex plus pour it out on a stainless steel surface and allow it to dry. Separate it and grow a culture from it. Norovirus spores can also survive. I know this because I remember the clinical test results sent to us in memos from Bethesda. Ultimately the best all around solutions for disinfectant was sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide and iodophores. This is what the CDC recomends.

A mixture of table salt vinegar and lemon juice is more effective than most disinfectants that cost $100.00+/gal.

How about this Borax, vinegar, table salt, lemon juice, iso alcohol and listerine.

 

[aidihra]

I use LAB-X (Microbex). I pour it in a spray bottle and use it for everything (impressions, appliances and work surfaces).

 

[CloudPeakDL]

I retired from the Air Force in 06. At that time we used Dispatch; it is a Hospital Cleaner Disinfectant with Bleach. e by Caltech, it is stabalized and doesn't require mixing daily, just use straight from the bottle. I use it still and don't have an issue with metal as long as you don't let it sit for an extended period of time - hours-. Product info states it is similar to a 1:10 soulution. Contact time ofapprox 2 min kills just about everything. Reg bleach requires a 10 min contact time. Dispatch meets OSHA, CDC, NCCLS and Universal Precautions guidelines for health care worker protection from bloodborne pathogens.

I purchase through Zahn dental but they have a web site EPA Registered Hospital Cleaner Disinfectants for Infection Control
The short contact time is great for alginate but I still wear gloves when pouring and seperating impressions.
Just another opinion.

 

[Smilewire]

OK I know this is really old post but question:
how hot does the plaster get while setting up? hot enough to kill most things? just a question that I thought of....

 

[rkm rdt]

I use an ethanol based disinectant.Biosurf by Micrylium.

 

[kcdt]

OK I know this is really old post but question:
how hot does the plaster get while setting up? hot enough to kill most things? just a question that I thought of....

Not even close.

 

[hydent]

As I understand cavacide does not kill hepatitis (which can stay alive for days if not treated with fairly extreme heat 200 degrees+- or bleach) I soak all of my denture repairs in bleach solution before I'll even work on them I know it's not recommended but I don't care my own safety is worth more than a piece of plastic. I took a class that recommended dipping impressions in a diluted bleach (I have also heard things that say otherwise)1 part bleach to 9 parts water will be sufficient I soak for about ten minutes and have had no issues with damaging acrylic or resin I just spray my impressions with cavacide. Just beware that cavacide does not kill hepatitis.