Product Evaluation

Clinicians routinely pouch their instruments and load them into the autoclave, expecting that their tools will emerge clean, dry, and sterile. However, as Dr. Varo Boyer has experienced, occasional mishaps can occur.

“When pouches are poorly sealed, leak, or rip, the whole set of instruments is compromised,” he explained. Luckily, Dr. Boyer recently discovered that he could rely on the durable, self-sealing Patterson Pouch Plus sterilization pouches to provide his dental team with “a high level of confidence that our instruments are sterilized well without any leakage or compromise.”

“Patterson Pouch Plus was much sturdier than our office’s current brand,” he added. “The seal is excellent, and I can reliably handle a few pouches without worrying that a minor bump or friction will cause the pouches to rip.” What’s more, Dr. Boyer reported, “My staff spends less time resterilizing instruments.”

Variety of Sizes and Easy Opening

Available in a variety of sizes, Patterson Pouch Plus accommodates diverse instruments and can be easily opened before and after sterilization.

Dr. Jeffrey Greene said, “The 3.5-inch x 5.25-inch pouch is large enough to completely fit my electric handpiece and create a good seal,” while Dr. Boyer said, “I was able to reasonably fit larger items without having a tear or wasting a pouch that’s double the size of the item.” Similarly, Dr. Ashish Arya found that “having flexible sizes minimized wasted space,” and Dr. Tanya Orr said, “The specific sizing makes it very convenient to sterilize instruments as a kit.”

“These pouches are a more appropriate size for forceps and elevators,” Dr. Aamna Nayyar said. “They come in handy for bigger instruments, and for hygienists pouching multiple instruments together.”

Having struggled to remove the adhesive tabs of other pouches while wearing utility gloves, hygienist Donna Shewbert was pleased that she could “lift up the tab and pull it off with ease without tearing the pouch.” Tara Cabral, RDH, BS, also found the pouches “easy to open chairside without worrying about ripping and instruments flying out.”

Strong, Durable Design

Patterson Pouch Plus features extra-strength, medical-grade paper that resists tears and punctures, and will not shrink or shrivel in high temperatures.

“The durability was great, and we had no pouches that didn’t sterilize properly,” Dr. Arya said, and Dr. Kalpesh Mehta said, “These pouches were much sturdier and don’t tear easily, even when they get wet.” For Dr. Gary Dong, “The pouches held up and didn’t tear at all. They stayed sealed after autoclaving with no openings, and I especially liked how quickly they dry after sterilization.”

Looking for sterilization pouches “with a paper that prevents the instruments from breaking through when wet,” Dr. Greene noted, “This problem did not occur with Patterson Pouch Plus.” Additionally, he explained, “I use a lot of instruments in my basic procedure setup. These pouches did not tear, rip, or puncture from the excess weight of all these instruments.”

 “Patterson Pouch Plus didn’t weaken with moisture and held up well post-sterilization, and instruments didn’t break through the package if it was moistened,” Dr. Cynthia Leung said. Dr. Nayyar echoed these comments, saying, “They didn’t tear up during or after sterilization.”

Sterility Assurance

With a self-sealing design and both internal and external indicators for time, temperature, and pressure printed directly on the pouches, Patterson Pouch Plus provides the highest level of sterility assurance, particularly when used with weekly biological testing.

The indicators are lead-free and can be discarded in unregulated trash, based on current EPA standards.

Dr. Mehta described Patterson Pouch Plus as “strong and sturdy with easily viewable indicators,” and Dr. Dong felt “confident that my instruments were sterile,” adding that “the indicators were accurate per our biological monitoring as a control.”

“I have eliminated all paper bags and now use Patterson Pouch Plus for all instrument setups and individual specialty instruments,” Dr. Greene reported, appreciating that there is “no more guesswork as to what is in the bag.” He suggested larger indicators on the pouches.

“Patterson Pouch Plus superseded our expectations,” Dr. Shalom Mehler said. Praising the self-sealing pouches and their internal and external indicators, along with how clean instruments were after sterilization, he also declared Patterson Pouch Plus “a win-win” for his dental team.

Overall Satisfaction

“With Patterson Pouch Plus, I know that my instruments are the cleanest and most sterile they can be,” Dr. Mehler said.

For Dr. James Fang, the pouches were “easy to use and reliable,” and Dr. Arya said, “They performed just as well as the brand-name pouches we had been using.”

Kim Williams, RDH, BS, assured, “The quality is good,” Dr. Dong called it “a good product that I would purchase and recommend,” and Dr. Orr said the pouches were “excellent overall.”

“I’m always looking for products that make my job more efficient and save on time and motion,” Shewbert said. “This is one of the best products I’ve evaluated for Dental Product Shopper.”