Dental Disinfectant Wipes: How to Choose and What to Check

Dental disinfectant wipes are ordered on price per canister and the price per canister is the least useful number on the listing. Six specifications determine whether a product fits the operatory, and five of them are printed on the label.

What to check before ordering

• Contact time. The minutes the surface must stay visibly wet. Currently 1 minute for Optim 1, 2 minutes for Super Sani-Cloth, 3 minutes for CaviWipes and Sani-Cloth AF3. A three minute product needs two or three applications on the same surface to stay wet that long.
• EPA registration number. Present on every legitimate product. No number, no verifiable kill claim.
• Tuberculocidal claim. The marker of an intermediate level disinfectant, which is the classification required for clinical contact surfaces in a dental operatory. Products without it are low level and belong on housekeeping surfaces.
• Alcohol content. Speeds kill and shortens wet time. Degrades vinyl and some plastics over repeated cycles.
• Sheet size. A 6 x 6.75 inch sheet covers a light handle. A 9 x 12 inch sheet covers a chair. Buying the small format for large surfaces multiplies consumption.
• Sheet count per canister. 160 is standard for the small format, 65 for the extra large. Compare price per sheet, not price per canister.

Which dental disinfectant wipes for which surface

• Clinical contact surfaces between patients. Light handles, chair controls, bracket table, air water syringe. Shortest contact time available. Optim 1 at one minute.
• Vinyl upholstery and alcohol sensitive plastics. Alcohol free formulation. Sani-Cloth AF3.
• Large surfaces and chair backs. Extra large sheet format. CaviWipes 9 x 12 XL or CaviWipes HP XL.
• Where one wipe gets carried across adjacent items. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide is the only class with published evidence against transferring bacteria to a second surface. CaviWipes HP.
• Gross debris after treatment. Two passes. First wipe removes debris and is discarded, second wipe disinfects and is held to contact time.
• Floors, cabinetry, large equipment. Gallon concentrate rather than wipes.
• Surfaces that resist cleaning. Cover rather than wipe. Curing light sleeves, sensor barrier envelopes and headrest covers, covered in our guide to disposable dental supplies.

The products, by active ingredient

Quaternary ammonium with alcohol. Fastest acting, shortest wet time, most aggressive on plastics.

• CaviWipes, Metrex. 160 per canister, 6.75 x 6 inch. Contact time 3 minutes.
• CaviWipes 2.0, Metrex. 160 per canister, 6.75 x 6 inch.
• CaviWipes XL, Metrex. 65 per canister, 9 x 12 inch.
• Super Sani-Cloth, PDI. High alcohol at 55%. Contact time 2 minutes.

Quaternary ammonium without alcohol. Longer wet time, lower material aggression, the choice for upholstery. Sani-Cloth AF3, PDI. 160 per pack, large format. Contact time 3 minutes.

Accelerated hydrogen peroxide. Minimal residue, breaks down to water and oxygen, evidence against surface to surface transfer.

• CaviWipes HP, Metrex. 160 per canister.
• CaviWipes HP XL, Metrex. 65 per canister, 9 x 12 inch.

Dual quaternary ammonium. Shortest contact time in general dental circulation.

• Optim 1, Coltene. 160 sheets per pack, 6 x 7 inch. Contact time 1 minute.
• Optim 1, Coltene. 60 per canister, 10 x 10 inch.
• Optim 33 TB, Coltene. 160 per canister, 6 x 7 inch.

Contact times are the manufacturer claims currently in circulation. Verify against the canister in use.

Concentrates

For floors, cabinetry and large equipment, where a canister of wipes is the wrong format.

• CaviCide, Metrex. Gallon.
• CaviCide Surface Disinfectant, Kerr. Gallon.
• Optim 1 Disinfectant Solution, Coltene. Gallon.

Five purchasing mistakes

Buying on price per canister. Compare price per sheet and factor the contact time. A three minute product consumes two to three sheets per surface.

Assuming the same active means the same product. Quaternary ammonium binds to some wipe substrates, which reduces the concentration reaching the surface. Two products with the same declared active can perform differently (PMID 31452873).

Using one wipe on more than one surface. Of five commercially available wipe products tested to ASTM E2967-15, all achieved above 99.99% reduction of Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii after ten seconds of wiping, and only the accelerated hydrogen peroxide product prevented transfer of bacteria to a second surface (PMID 26518272).

Treating the wipe as a cleaner. Disinfectant wipes remove organic debris less effectively than a cloth (PMID 22264495). Debris comes off first, disinfection second.

Using alcohol formulations on vinyl. Upholstery replacement is the cost that follows, and it is larger than the saving on the canister.

Frequently asked questions

• Which dental disinfectant wipes have the shortest contact time? Optim 1 at one minute. CaviWipes and Sani-Cloth AF3 are at three minutes, Super Sani-Cloth at two.
• How do I know a wipe is approved for clinical contact surfaces? Look for an EPA registration number and a tuberculocidal claim, which marks an intermediate level disinfectant.
• Can one wipe be used on more than one surface? Four of five tested products transferred viable bacteria to a second surface. One wipe per surface, then discard.
• What is the difference between contact time and dry time? Contact time is the wet period the label requires. Dry time is evaporation. If the surface dries first, re-wet it.
• Which wipe is safe on vinyl upholstery? An alcohol free formulation. Sani-Cloth AF3 is the product in that class.
• What size wipe should I order? Small format for instrument and control surfaces, extra large for chairs and headrests. Ordering only the small format multiplies consumption on large surfaces.

A product level review of the most widely stocked wipe in the category is available in our CaviWipes clinical review.

Compare dental disinfectant wipes prices across 15+ verified vendors

Quaternary ammonium with alcohol

CaviWipes Surface Wipes 160/Can. CaviWipes 2.0 Surface Disinfectant 160/Can. CaviWipes Disinfectant 9 x 12 XL 65/Can. Super Sani-Cloth Large Wipes High Alcohol 55%.

Quaternary ammonium without alcohol

Sani-Cloth AF3 Germicidal Disposable Wipes Large 160/Pk.

Accelerated hydrogen peroxide

CaviWipes HP Surface Wipes 160/Can. CaviWipes HP XL 65/Can.

Dual quaternary ammonium

Optim 1 Pre-Saturated Wipes 6 x 7, 160 Sheets/Pk. Optim 1 Wipes 10 x 10, 60/Cn. Optim 33 TB Wipes 6 x 7, 160/Cn.

Concentrates

CaviCide Gallon. CaviCide Surface Disinfectant Gallon. Optim 1 Disinfectant Solution Gallon.

Barriers

TidiShield LED Curing Light Sleeves. Easy-Tear Short-Side Load Barrier Envelopes 100/Box.