International Journal of Dentistry (Jan 2020)

Management of Instrument Sterilization Workflow in Endodontics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Mario Dioguardi,
  • Diego Sovereto,
  • Gaetano Illuzzi,
  • Enrica Laneve,
  • Bruna Raddato,
  • Claudia Arena,
  • Vito Carlo Alberto Caponio,
  • Giorgia Apollonia Caloro,
  • Khrystyna Zhurakivska,
  • Giuseppe Troiano,
  • Lorenzo Lo Muzio

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5824369
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2020

Abstract

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Endodontic treatment consists of different working procedures, such as the isolation of the operating field, pulp chamber access, and cleaning and shaping phases with at last the need of a three-dimensional filling of the canals. Each step requires a series of single-use or sterilizable instruments. We have performed a systematic review of different sterilization and disinfection procedures aiming at drawing up a disinfection and sterilization procedure to be used on endodontic instruments. A search on PubMed and Scopus was carried out using the following keywords: “endodontic sterilization,” “endodontic autoclave,” “decontamination dental bur,” “sterilization dental burs,” and “gutta-percha points sterilization.” Eligible articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results of the meta-analysis showed that the most effective method in sterilization is autoclaving. The qualitative analysis showed that the use of single-use or first-use instruments requires presterilization or sterilization procedures, and for reusable tools, attention must be paid to the removal of debris deposited on the blades, not easy to remove manually.