Efectividad de la esterilización mediante la irradiación de microondas en la eliminación del Enterococcus faecalis en instrumental de uso ortodóntico

Abstract

Introduction: The pathogens involved in the transmission of infections in the dental field responsible for airway infections due to their high pathogenicity and ease of spread expose professionals during their daily practice. Heat sterilization and disinfection are the effective methods to eliminate the microorganisms that cause contamination of the instruments used. Due to the high costs it is difficult to have a large amount of this, it is necessary to look for a sterilization system in less time that is more effective than the established systems for greater availability of instruments in the consultation. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of microwave sterilization of instruments used in orthodontic practice. Materials and methods: Preparation for inoculation with Enterococcus faecalis; The effectiveness of this process was verified by taking a sample and subsequent sowing in a culture medium with the instruments available for biological control. Finally, the sterilization was carried out by means of microwave irradiation and post-irradiation sterilization control. the data were recorded in the statistical package STATA / MP version 14.0, for the analysis and the measures of central tendency and dispersion were taken into account. The project was approved by the research committee of the Santo Tomás University School of Dentistry. Results: The sterilization process by microwave irradiation was satisfactory, completely eliminating Enterococcus faecalis, in none of the evaluated groups positive bacterial growth was observed. With respect to Geobacillus stearothermophilus; it was evidenced that the longer the exposure time to microwave waves there is a decrease in the UFC count. Conclusions: This method is effective, fast, a versatile, easy and inexpensive tool that dentists and assistant personnel can perform; to inactivate microorganisms.