In immediate response to the pandemic last summer, dental equipment manufacturers acted swiftly, adapting their products to minimise aerosol generation and providing practitioners with alternative non-AGP treatment options. For example, NSK's Ti-Max Z95L and Z45L handpieces now have an anti-suck back mechanism that prevents blood and foreign matter entering the head, and a switch to turn off the air/water mix so that only water spray is used, thereby minimising aerosols.

But cleaning the hidden internal surfaces and lumens of a handpiece remains a challenge. This essential cleaning is difficult to achieve using a manual process which can be inefficient and is difficult to reproduce consistently to a validated standard, potentially resulting in non-sterile instruments and even damage to the autoclave.

The ideal method of internal cleaning and lubrication is to use an automated unit, such as the NSK iCare. This equipment features technology specifically designed to quickly and effectively remove dirt and debris from the internal workings of handpieces and deliver the precise amount of lubricant in preparation for sterilisation.

One of the most complex challenges faced by decon teams is how to ensure effective sterilisation of their handpieces. NSK's iMax S and iClave plus vacuum autoclaves have been developed to sterilise all instruments, especially dental handpieces. The utilisation of a thermally efficient copper chamber results in improved performance, offering faster, more efficient cycles compared with traditional stainless steel chambered autoclaves of an equivalent size and capacity.

Find out more about the NSK SMART3 decontamination protocol and how you can protect your handpieces at mynsk.co.uk/decontamination/.