Rationale for using single-use disposable air/water syringe tips.

The research discussed in this article was conducted to study the inaccessible lumen surfaces of used and unused metal tips of air/water syringes using a light and a scanning electron microscope. Factors affecting the selection of air/water syringe tips were enumerated and compared. Patient and dentist acceptance of reusable and single-use air/water syringe tips for use in the oral cavity was evaluated. Although heat sterilization may destroy microbial organisms, the internal surfaces of metal tips were found to be rough, making them the focus of mineral and bioburden deposits. With regard to cleaning and sterilization, disposable tips were found to be more acceptable in clinical use than metal tips.