Types of autoclaves used in dental practices: B-class ONLY.
Autoclave cycles: Quick B (134), Universal 134, Universal 121, Prion cycle. Quick B cycle is only approx. 10 minutes shorter than a Universal 134 cycle – the drying time is reduced in a Quick cycle. Instrument packs must be dry upon onloading. For this reason, we do not use Quick cycles for wrapped items, as they will not be sterile if they come out wet – autoclave packs form part of the Sterile Barrier System (SBS) – refer to the infection control manual. We must also only use the cycle for which our autoclaves have been validated by the technician – usually this is only for the Universal 134 cycle.
A Universal 134-degree cycle can sterilise most items in our practice.
Stages of cycle and sterilisation: steriliser must heat up to appropriate temperature, with vacuum to remove air from the chamber (including porous and hollow items). Once air is removed, steam can penetrate. If steam cannot penetrate items, those items will not be sterilised.
For this reason, items must be free of residual debris from the cleaning process, including cement, body tissue/blood, calculus, lint/fibres etc. Instrument packs must not be premade with gauze – this should always be sterilised separately (heating up, plateau/hold, cooling and drying).
Once it reaches the required temperature (134 or 121 degrees Celsius), it holds or plateaus for the required amount of time – this is when sterilisation actually occurs. If the autoclave is on a 134-degree cycle, it must plateau at this temperature for minimum 4 minutes. If it is on a 121-degree (gentle) cycle, it must plateau for minimum 20 minutes.
After this, the autoclave begins to cool down, and the drying process begins. In total, an autoclave cycle can take up to an hour. Given the amount of time it takes for the unit to heat up, it is advisable to keep cycles running consistently so that the unit remains warm – the time spent heating up for each cycle is reduced this way.
Autoclave servicing
Autoclaves must be serviced, calibrated and validated every twelve months by a licenced technician, as per Australian Standard AS 5369:2023 Reprocessing of reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities. The technician must provide documentation to evidence this. This documentation must be kept by the practice and produced when required. It is the responsibility of the practice manager to ensure that this documentation is maintained and that service is booked when required.
Autoclave manual – refer to this for troubleshooting as well as daily/weekly/monthly maintenance.
