Detection of microorganisms in newly packaged brackets of six different commercial brands

Abstract

One of the most important issues within the practice is the cross infection control. We currently have enough technology to disinfect and sterilize instruments. Dental protection measures must be adopted to prevent infection and they are established in our country by the Mexican Official Norm (NOM-013-SSA) for epidemiologic surveillance, and for the prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections. Material and methods: In order to conduct the study, six different brands of packaged metal brackets were used. Three of them are packaged in Mexico: American Orthodontics (Protorque .018), Borgatta and GAC (Roth .022); and three are packaged in the US: TP Orthodontics, Inc. (MBT .022), ORMCO Corporation. (Roth .022), 3M Unitek (MBT .022). Results: Of the six Petri dishes, only one colony growth was observed and it corresponded to the brand Borgatta (Roth .022). It was determined by optical microscopy, the presence of bacilli GN and cocci (Staphylococcus). Conclusions: Orthodontic attachments should be subjected to a disinfection process and/or sterilization prior to their placement to ensure the absence of microorganisms.Key words: Microorganisms, brackets, packaging, optical microscopy