EFFECTIVE ROOM TEMPERATURE DENTAL HANDPIECE STERILIZER

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议研究和开发一种在室温下有效灭菌牙科手机（DH）的新颖，可靠且价格合理的技术。美国食品和药物管理局（FDA）建议这些精密的器械在病人之间进行热消毒，以减少疾病传播的风险。虽然高压灭菌是这些方法中最通用的，但许多材料和仪器在灭菌所需的温度和时间下暴露于湿热时遭受不可逆转的损坏。经过几次灭菌循环后，湿热会缩短大多数牙科工具的使用寿命。湿热灭菌会迅速腐蚀金属仪器并使刀片变钝。该技术利用自由基源产生的非腐蚀性气体灭菌剂对各种材料和表面进行灭菌。在源中产生的含有自由基的空气/气流甚至能够穿透并有效地消毒仪器，如手机内部通道。提出的灭菌技术是安全的，不需要化学品，操作简单，免维护。由于在低温下操作和低能耗，它的简单性和可负担性使其非常适合开发用于许多牙科诊所的灭菌设备。在第一阶段的试验中，源系统产生的含有自由基的气流，在灭菌过程温度低于30℃的情况下，在不到10分钟的时间内，有效地灭活了沉积在最窄DH通道内的100%的高浓度孢子微生物。在项目的第一阶段，对材料相容性进行了评估，并证明该技术对DH是安全的。以尽可能低的成本提供高质量的护理，需要开发新的安全、廉价的消毒技术。牙科设备（DHs）的灭菌是目前牙科保健的重要问题之一，因为这些精密仪器每台大约花费1000美元，需要在病人之间进行灭菌。提出的有效的室温灭菌技术的发展为高压灭菌提供了廉价的替代方案。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to research and develop a novel, reliable, and affordable technology for effective sterilization of Dental Handpieces (DH) at room temperature. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that these delicate instruments be heat- sterilized between patients to reduce the risk of disease transmission. While autoclaving is the most versatile of these methods, many materials and instruments suffer irreversible damage when exposed to moist heat at the temperatures and for the times required for sterilization. After several sterilization cycles, moist heat shortens the useful life of most Dental tools. Moist heat sterilization rapidly corrodes metal instruments and dulls blades. The technology utilizes a non-corrosive gas sterilant produced in a free radical source to sterilize a wide range of materials and surfaces. The air/gas stream containing free radicals produced in the source will even be able to penetrate and efficiently sterilize instruments such as handpiece inner channels. The proposed sterilization technology is safe, will not require chemicals, and will be simple in operation and maintenance free. Its simplicity and affordability resulting from operating at low-temperature and with low energy requirements make it very suitable for developing a sterilization device for use in many Dental offices. During Phase I tests, an air stream containing free radicals produced in the source system effectively inactivated 100% of highly concentrated microorganisms in spore form deposited inside the narrowest DH channel at the temperature of the sterilization process maintained below 30oC in time less than 10 minutes. During Phase I of the program, material compatibility were assessed and proved that the technology is safe for DH. .High quality care at lowest possible cost creates a necessity of development of new safe, cheap sterilization technologies. Sterilization of Dental Handpieces (DHs), is currently one of the important issues in Dental care, since these precision instruments, costing about $1,000 each, need to be sterilized between patients. The proposed development of the effective, room temperature sterilization technology offers cheap alternative to autoclaving.