What are the advantages and disadvantages of “flash sterilization?”
A Flash sterilization (sterilization of unwrapped items) may be considered if an emergency occurs (for example, the practice’s only available handpiece is dropped on the floor in the middle of patient treatment) and a single instrument needs to be sterilized in a hurry. Since the item is not to be wrapped for processing, the sterilized item should be used immediately (as soon as it cools off) and must be protected from re-contamination during transport to the point of use by using a previously agreed upon protocol designed for this purpose.
