As the UK's market leader in handpiece and decontamination technology, NSK is committed to improving the standards of handpiece decontamination, especially in light of the heightened risks posed by transmission of harmful pathogens, particularly by asymptomatic patients.

Until now, the risk from dental handpieces has tended to focus on the issues surrounding aerosol production. However, little has been said about the importance of the need to correctly decontaminate handpieces which is vital in helping to prevent the risk of cross-infection between patients.

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NSK's SMART3 handpiece decontamination protocol consists of three key steps - Cleaning, Lubrication & Sterilisation - and, when using a proven, automated system, provides the following benefits:

  • Safer - compared with inconsistent manual processes and the use of incorrect autoclave/sterilisation cycles

  • Measured - employing proven systems that dose the correct volumes of cleaning solution and lubricant, handpieces can be sterilised using the correct autoclave cycles - S or B type vacuum

  • Affordable - ensures the overall process will deliver a return on investment based on the cost savings of the consumables used, over-reliance on expensive inventory and, ongoing handpiece maintenance costs

  • Reproducible - provides consistent results, time after time, by removing the ambiguities associated with a manual process

  • Time saving - significantly decreases the time required to manually decontaminate handpieces, helping improve throughput and reducing costly delays in the process.

To discover more about NSK's wide range of decontamination equipment and the NSK SMART3 protocol visit mynsk.co.uk/smart3/