酸素ラジカルを用いた低温プラズマ滅菌装置の滅菌特性と歯科用バーに対する滅菌性能

抄録

The main methods currently used to sterilize dental materials employ high-pressure steam, ethylene oxide gas, or hydrogen peroxide plasma. While these methods offer outstanding sterilization capabilities, each is not without its drawbacks. Because dental materials have extensive material properties, the sterilization temperature, humidity, and other parameters must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, a strong sterilization capability is required, but the method used should preferably have no environment impact. We have developed a low-temperature plasma sterilization device that uses oxygen radicals, and have been attempting to bring it into practical use. We recently evaluated the sterilization performance of our prototype device and examined its sterilization effect for dental burrs. When evaluating sterilization performance using biological and chemical indicator strips, we found that adequate sterilization was achieved in all cases after approximately 2 to 6 hours. When evaluating dental materials, we found that sterilization was adequate when the material composition of the burr was relatively simple. However, adequate sterilization was not achieved when burrs made of silicon, carborundum and other non-metallic materials were used. Further investigation of materials having tiny pores, and investigations using different sterilization processes, will be necessary to determine how to get the plasma to penetrate the deepest layers of the materials being sterilized.