Effective cleaning protocols for rotary nickel-titanium files

Abstract

Cleaning of dental instruments before sterilisation is an essential part of processing for re-use. Rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files as obtained from the manufacturer are mostly not sterile and require cleaning and sterilisation both before first use and for re-use. We describe here two simple, practical cleaning protocols that are effective in removing organic debris from files. Rotary NiTi files can be safely re-used from an infection control perspective.