Instrument Trays & Cassettes

About trays and cassettes

A cassette holds a set of instruments through cleaning, sterilization and storage: the CDC states that critical and semicritical instruments which will be stored should be wrapped or placed in containers such as cassettes or organizing trays designed to maintain sterility during storage. For an unwrapped load, the CDC states that an internal chemical indicator should at a minimum be placed in the tray or cassette with the items to be sterilized.

The container the instruments stay in from the sink to the sterilizer to the shelf.

Sources: CDC: Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings — 2003 (MMWR 52(RR-17))