The October 2026 issue of Dental Bytes covers a flu season reminder for dental teams, National Dental Hygiene Month, a Colorado license suspension involving infection control lapses, the final part of the ADA’s oral cancer living guideline, an updated AHA…
Every dental practice that sterilizes instruments has to prove its sterilizer works, and the CDC's answer is a weekly spore test. How you run that test is up to you. You can mail the strip to an outside lab, or…
Proper sterilization is an essential part of infection prevention in the dental office. But how do you know your sterilizer is working properly? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends three types of sterilization monitoring – mechanical,…
Arkansas dental practices are required to monitor their sterilizers with biological spore tests as part of the state's infection control standards. The authority comes from Article XV of the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners Rules (Rule 038.00.07-001), which sets…
Louisiana dental practices must run biological spore tests on every autoclave to verify sterilization. The requirement comes directly from the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry under Louisiana Administrative Code Title 46, Part XXXIII, Chapter 12, §XXXIII-1206, which mandates that each…
Are Kentucky Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — and Kentucky backs its infection control rule with one of the sharpest enforcement mechanisms in this guide. Under 201 KAR 8:540, Section 5 (Infection Control Compliance), every licensed dentist…
Are Kansas Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — and Kansas is the only state in this guide with a testing interval tied to actual sterilizer use rather than a flat calendar schedule. Under K.A.R. 71-1-18(b)(3)(C), "biological spore…
Are Minnesota Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — indirectly, through the state's own administrative rule. Minnesota Rule 3100.6300, subpart 11, titled "Adequate Safety and Sanitary Conditions for Dental Offices," requires that "dental health care personnel shall comply…
Are Iowa Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes. Iowa dental offices are required to perform weekly biological (spore) testing of every sterilizer under 650 Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) Chapter 10 — Minimum Infection Control Standards, enforced by the…
Are Missouri Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — indirectly, but firmly. Missouri doesn't have a dental-specific rule that names "spore testing" or "weekly" testing in its own text. Instead, the requirement comes from RSMo §191.694, a public…
