Dental OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) Practice Exam

What is used to check sterilizers for efficacy?

1. Chemical indicators

2. Biological indicators

3. Temperature logs

4. Visual inspections

The correct answer is: Biological indicators

Biological indicators are organisms, typically bacterial spores, which are highly resistant to sterilization processes. Their presence allows for a reliable assessment of whether the sterilization cycle effectively eliminated those organisms, thus ensuring that the sterilization process was successful. If the spores remain viable after a sterilization cycle, it indicates that the process was ineffective, raising concerns about the sterility of the items being processed. While chemical indicators change color in response to specific conditions, such as temperature or time, they do not provide the same level of assurance regarding the actual microbial load reduction. Temperature logs can help monitor whether the sterilization equipment is functioning correctly, but they do not necessarily guarantee that the process has effectively sterilized the instruments. Visual inspections can help identify any gross contamination or malfunction of the equipment but are not definitive measures of sterilization efficacy. Therefore, the use of biological indicators is considered the gold standard for ensuring that the sterilization process has achieved its intended purpose of eliminating all viable microorganisms.