INTRODUCTION: Dental handpiece is an important device popularly used in dental procedures for drilling, filling, cleaning, and extraction of teeth. Dental HP is considered “Narrow lumen double ended open space device." not a simple hollow device. After every patient, the HPs should be cleaned, and sterilized. Assessment of sterilization and steam penetration of HP should be evaluated. The nature of the steam penetration test may be using Bowie Dick test or test helix.
OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of helix test versus bowie dick test for assessment of sterilization of dental handpiece.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty handpieces were included in the study, of them water irrigation samples were collected from 25 dental handpieces after its use and before sterilization. Water irrigation samples were collected from all the 50 handpieces after sterilization. Water samples were cultured for bacteriological examination on Blood Agar, Mannitol Salt Agar, MacConkey Agar, and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar.
RESULTS: Bowie dick test was successful to assess the sterilization and steam penetration of dental handpiece as confirmed by the absence of bacterial growth from all the 50 water irrigation samples taken from HPs after sterilization, while helix test showed discrepancy in its result as only 48% of the PCD tested showed sufficient air removal and 52% showed partially sufficient air removal and steam penetration in-spite of the negative results of bacterial culture after sterilization.
CONCLUSIONS: BD test is successful to assess the sterilization and steam penetration of dental handpiece. Using Helix test for assessment of sterilization of dental handpiece is not conclusive.