The College of Dentistry’s Sterilizer and Waterline Monitoring Service (SWMS) provides sterilizer testing for dental practitioners, tattoo and esthetics studios, and other services where instrument sterilization is required to ensure the health and safety of patients and customers. Waterline testing is also available for dental offices and services where water is used in patient or customer treatment.
Sterilizer Testing
Sterilizer testing is a quality assurance practice to determine whether a sterilizer (autoclave, chemiclave, etc.) is operating properly. A testing subscription service is available on a per-sterilizer basis for either weekly or monthly testing. The annual subscription is based on the calendar year and the fee is prorated for clients who subscribe part way through the year.
Current fees for sterilizer testing are:
| Annual Subscription | effective Jan 1/24 |
| Weekly Testing | $495 per sterilizer |
| Monthly Testing | $225 per sterilizer |
The service provides test strips which the user inserts into a sterilizer cycle. Processed test strips are returned to the SWMS, with test results provided to the user via email. If a test result shows the sterilizer is not operating properly, the user will be contacted immediately by phone and requested to perform a re-test to determine whether the initial result was accurate. If a sterilizer fails a second test, immediate service to the sterilizer is recommended.
For dental offices, the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan bylaws mandate a minimum of weekly sterilizer testing. Infection control guidelines established by the Canadian Dental Association confirm weekly sterilizer monitoring is appropriate.
Waterline Testing
Waterline testing is used to determine the level of bacteria in a sample of water. This quality assurance service is typically used to test water from a dental unit waterline, as well as samples from other water sources used in patient or customer treatment.
Clients are provided with samplers and instructions on how to collect a sample. Test results are delivered via email approximately five business days after the sample is received by the testing service. The tests can be purchased as needed or on a subscription basis at a frequency of the client’s choosing.
Current fees for waterline testing on a per test basis are:
| Annual subscription (annual or semi-annual testing) — $31 |
| Annual subscription (monthly or quarterly testing) — $29 |
| Re-test upon "unacceptable result" — $25 |
College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan bylaws mandate a minimum yearly waterline testing per dental chair. Infection control guidelines established by the Canadian Dental Association confirm yearly monitoring as appropriate.
Contact
For additional information, contact the Sterilizer and Waterline Monitoring Service by email at swms.business@usask.ca or phone (306) 966-1415.