Instrument decontamination workflow — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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ModerateDental Public Health, Ethics, Law and Infection ControlInstrument decontamination workflowORE Part 1

A dental practice processes used periodontal instruments in a local decontamination area. Instruments move from a designated dirty zone through cleaning, inspection and sterilisation before being placed in a clean storage zone. What is the main purpose of this one-way workflow?

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Correct answer: C — To prevent processed instruments being recontaminated

Explanation lettering: B = shown as A · E = shown as B · D = shown as C · C = shown as D · A = shown as E

D is correct. A unidirectional dirty-to-clean workflow separates contaminated instruments from those that have completed decontamination, thereby reducing the opportunity for clean or sterilised instruments to be recontaminated. SDCEP describes decontamination as a staged process—cleaning, thermal disinfection, inspection and sterilisation—and requires procedures covering segregation after use and subsequent storage. It also advises that areas are clearly zoned as clean or dirty. A is incorrect because colour coding does not determine sterilisation efficacy. B reverses the segregation principle. C is wrong because wiping is not a substitute for validated cleaning and sterilisation processes. E is wrong because cleaning is an essential earlier stage before sterilisation and storage.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), Practice Support Manual, “Decontamination of dental instruments”, reviewed June 2026: https://www.psm.sdcep.org.uk/topics/infection-prevention-and-control/decontamination-of-dental-instruments/