The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. What to look for in a burblock / burcaddy / burstand. Your dental bur block is one of those essential items that is often taken for granted. The ability to access the sterile bur of your choice with ease is one of those small things that we have to do many times a day, often many times a patient. To have adequate selection of burs and to do so with ease and confidence and eďŹƒciency is an everyday task that is often overlooked.
To be adequately sterilised the burs and burblock should be processed and processable: In a washer disinfector. In an ultrasonic bath In an autoclave. Stored with adequate protection for use next time. In the following slides I will show: 1. Magnified images of stands in use. 2. Results of Microbial tests by CLS on “old style� BurStand.
This commonly used stand is made of a non autoclavable plastic. Inserts are diďŹƒcult to remove and are therfore not removed for surface sterilisation. Debris can lie inaccessible under the inserts. Burs sterilised between patients are reinserted into the chairside unsterilisable stand?
On removal of the inserts one can clearly see the debris and accumulations and surface deterioration
All surfaces of a burblock should be accessible to these cleaning processes. Does your burblock have hinges and “closed� areas that cannot be irrigated mechanically remove any microbial debris?
These dead spots may be seen at the interface between base and lid, or when the “Bung” fits onto the metal plate. If the apparatus and material is not able to be autoclaved, surface sterilisation with wipes will not reach the “hidden” areas.
Surface interface of bungs unreachable and deteriorates. No closed lid to act as dust control from aerosol eect.