Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of three accepted methods of sterilization and disinfection of endodontic burs. Forty stainless steel straight fissure burs were used in this study. Access cavities were prepared with the burs and they were cleaned by running them on a cleaning stone and disinfected by wiping them with cotton gauze soaked in spirit. They were randomly divided in to three groups of 10 each and were sterilized in an autoclave, glass bead sterilizer and by placing them in cidex (2% glutaraldehyde) solution. The sterilized burs were then cultured in brain heart infusion broth for 12 hrs in an incubator at 370 C to check for turbidity and the results were statistically analyzed. The results suggest that autoclave proved to be the most efficient, glass bead sterilizer could be used as a chair side alternative and cidex solution proved to be ineffective in sterilizing burs.
