Hesperian Health Guides

Clean Your Instruments After You Finish

In this chapter:

If your instruments are dirty, they can pass on germs that cause tetanus or hepatitis (see page 172 in Where There Is No Doctor).

Germs on dirty instruments can also go into the socket and start an infection.

Dental instruments must be not only clean, but also sterile. This means they need to be both scrubbed and then boiled before they can be used again.

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Use a brush and clean each instrument with soap and water. Be careful to scrub away all bits of old dried blood. Then kill the germs by placing the instruments into a covered pot of boiling water for 30 minutes.


This page was updated:04 Apr 2024