Antisepsis, Disinfection Sterilization - Methods Used in Dentistry

Abstract

The Pasteur principles regarding the cause of infection and the measures that need to be taken in order to prevent it have become a necessity of the first rank, representing, at the same time, the decisive factor of progress in modern dentistry. Nowadays, based on these principles, from the simplest bandage to the most complex surgery, these are carried out with the help of materials, dental hands and a surgery area where the pathogenic germs have been destroyed. These measures are based on asepsis and antisepsis, methods that perform the disinfection. Asepsis represents the prophylactic side of the disinfection and addresses all the moments that present the risk of contamination. It represents the set of measures by means of which the contact between germs and surgery or accidental plague is avoided. It is a prophylactic method. Antisepsis represents the totality of the means by which the destruction of the germs present in a plague, on the skin or in the environment is sought; it is a curative method. The main mechanisms of action of antiseptics on microorganisms are: altered outer membrane, amino group blockage, tiolitic group blockage, inhibition of ergosterol synthesis, cytoplasmic membrane alteration, energy decoupling, intracytoplasmic clotting. The study comprises 135 sterilizations performed over a period of two years; 107 (79.26%) were done in autoclaves, 7 (5.18%) in ethylene oxide, and 21 (15.56%) in hydrogen peroxide. The use of an antiseptic for long periods of time must be avoided due to the fact that, in the case of those containing heavy metals in their structure, they can be cumulated in the human body, and when toxic concentrations are reached, various toxicities can be triggered.