Guide · Sterilizer records · US dental offices
How long must a dental office keep sterilization records?
There is no single federal number: the CDC tells dental offices to keep sterilization records — mechanical, chemical and biological — long enough to comply with state and local regulations (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines).
Of the states covered here, only Georgia names a period in its own rules — at least three years (Georgia board of dentistry rule 150-8-.01) — and three years is also the example the CDC gives (CDC/HICPAC, 2008 disinfection and sterilization guideline).
What the CDC says
The CDC's dental guidelines leave the number to state and local rules. They say sterilization monitoring records — mechanical, chemical and biological — should be retained long enough to comply with state and local regulations (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines), and the same instruction appears in the CDC's summary for dental settings (CDC, 2016 summary of infection prevention practices) and on its current sterilization-monitoring page (CDC, 2024 sterilization-monitoring page for dental settings).
The 2008 disinfection and sterilization guideline, which the CDC's dental pages point to, says to retain sterilization records for a period that complies with standards — three years is the example it gives — together with statutes of limitations and state and federal regulations (CDC/HICPAC, 2008 disinfection and sterilization guideline).
OSHA sets no period for sterilizer logs. Its bloodborne pathogens standard keeps a different record set: training records must be maintained for three years (OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030).
What each state says
Here is what each jurisdiction's own rules say about keeping sterilizer records.
| Where | What its rules say |
|---|---|
| CDC, all states | Keep mechanical, chemical and biological monitoring records long enough to comply with state and local regulations (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines) |
| Georgia | Keep all sterilization records for at least three years (Georgia board of dentistry rule 150-8-.01) |
| Florida | The dental sterilization rule sets no retention period (Florida rule 64B5-25.003) |
| New York | No retention period for sterilizer records; there is no statute of limitations for professional misconduct charges (New York State Education Department practice guidelines) |
| New Jersey | The dental rules set no retention period and adopt CDC guidance as binding (New Jersey rule 13:30-8.5) |
| Pennsylvania | The dental rules set no retention period; failing to follow CDC recommendations is unprofessional conduct (Pennsylvania rule 33.211(a)(7)) |
Sterilizer records are not patient records. Patient charts carry their own periods: at least six years in New York (New York rule 29.2(a)(3)), five years in Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania rule 33.209(b)) and ten years in Georgia (Georgia board of dentistry rule 150-8-.01).
What to record
A retention period only helps if the record itself is complete. For each sterilizer cycle, the CDC's 2008 guideline lists what to write down (CDC/HICPAC, 2008 disinfection and sterilization guideline):
- the type of sterilizer and the cycle used,
- the load identification number and the load contents,
- the exposure parameters, such as time and temperature,
- the operator's name or initials, and
- the results of mechanical, chemical and biological monitoring.
Mechanical monitoring means documenting that pressure, temperature and exposure time reached the levels the sterilizer manufacturer recommends, for every load (CDC, 2024 sterilization-monitoring page for dental settings).
Packs are labelled with the sterilizer used, the load or cycle number and the date of sterilization, so that a failure can be traced to the packs it affects (CDC, 2016 summary of infection prevention practices).
Logs for each sterilizer cycle are kept current and include the results from each load (CDC infection prevention checklist for dental settings).
How long to keep yours
Write the retention period into your infection-control policy instead of leaving it to habit. Where your state sets a minimum, that minimum is the floor: three years in Georgia (Georgia board of dentistry rule 150-8-.01).
Where your state sets none, three years is the example the CDC gives, and the same guideline points to statutes of limitations as a reason to keep records longer (CDC/HICPAC, 2008 disinfection and sterilization guideline).
New York's regulator states that there is no statute of limitations for professional misconduct charges, which is a reason to keep records longer than any minimum (New York State Education Department practice guidelines).
A simple policy: keep each sterilizer record for at least three years, and keep any record that touches a failed load, a recall or an open question until that matter is closed.
This guide is not legal advice; check your state board's current rules.
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