Free tool · Dental offices in the United States
What to do when a dental spore test fails, with a printable record
For dental offices in the United States: a free record of what happens after a positive spore test, ready to print and fill in.
- Free to use
- Prints on US Letter, portrait
- Type before printing, or write by hand
- Nothing you type is saved or sent
What the rules say
Each line ends with its source. Your state board sets its own rules on top of this guidance.
- 01
Take the sterilizer out of service and review your procedures, including work practices and the use of mechanical and chemical indicators, to determine whether operator error could be responsible. (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines)
- 02
Repeat the spore test immediately, after correctly loading the sterilizer and using the same cycle that produced the failure, and review all records of chemical and mechanical monitoring since the last negative spore test. (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines)
- 03
If the repeat spore test is negative, and mechanical and chemical indicators are within normal limits, put the sterilizer back in service. (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines)
- 04
If the repeat test is positive, do not use the sterilizer until it has been inspected or repaired or the reason for the positive test is known. Recall and reprocess the items processed since the last negative spore test, to the extent possible. (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines)
- 05
Before the sterilizer is used again, rechallenge it with spore tests in three consecutive cycles for each cycle type, after the cause of the failure has been found and corrected. Pre-vacuum sterilizers are also run three times with a Bowie-Dick air-removal test. (CDC, 2003 dental infection-control guidelines; CDC disinfection and sterilization guideline, 2008)
- 06
For sterilization methods other than steam, treat as nonsterile everything processed since the last negative spore test, up to the next cycle with a satisfactory result. A lapse may warrant consultation with the state or local health department. (CDC disinfection and sterilization guideline, 2008; CDC Infection Prevention Checklist for Dental Settings)
The failed spore test record
One row for each failed spore test. Type into it and then print, or print the blank sheet and write by hand. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Boldsand · Failed spore test record
| Date of positive result |
Sterilizer | Cycle type | Taken out of service (date/time, by) |
Repeat BI placed (date) |
Repeat result | Records reviewed since last negative BI (from-to dates) |
Loads recalled (Y/N, notes) |
Service/repair (vendor, date) |
Requalification BI cycles 1-2-3 (dates, results) |
Returned to service (date, by) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Footnote for the requalification column: record whether each cycle ran with the chamber empty or loaded. The CDC 2003 and 2008 guidelines call for empty-chamber cycles, while CDC's 2024 dental page says fully loaded cycles, so note which one the office ran.
How to use it
-
Fill in the header
Office name, the sterilizer's label, and the month or year the sheet covers. Type it in, or print the blank sheet and write.
-
Start a row when a test is positive
Write the date of the positive result, the sterilizer and the cycle type, then the date, time and person for taking the unit out of service.
-
Work left to right
The repeat test and its result, the records you reviewed since the last negative BI, the loads you recalled, and any service or repair with vendor and date.
-
Close the row
Record the three requalification BI cycles and their results, then the date and the person who returned the sterilizer to service. File the sheet with your sterilization records.
This template helps you keep records. It is not legal advice; check your state board's current rules.