The maxill PCD: Not Just a Device, but a Deliberate Design
As infection control standards continue to evolve, dental professionals are seeking tools that not only meet today’s requirements but anticipate tomorrow’s demands. The maxill Process Challenge Device (PCD) stands out as a future-ready, cost-effective, and scientifically grounded solution for validating sterilizer performance in dental settings.
Designed for Real-World Sterilization Challenges
The maxill PCD is engineered to replicate one of the most difficult sterilization scenarios in dentistry: a narrow lumen, prioritizing clinical specificity over general simulation. This deliberate design closely mirrors the internal geometry of dental handpieces, ultrasonic sleeves, hollow mirror handles, and air polisher handpieces, equipment that demands the highest level of sterilization assurance.
You might ask, why not use a flat, square, or rectangular PCD? The answer is simple: those shapes do not mimic a true lumen. The maxill PCD, with its narrow channel, forces steam to enter and move through the entire length of the hollow cannister. This design mimics hollow dental instruments requiring steam to travel in, circulate, and sterilize, exactly what the maxill PCD is designed to simulate.
And don’t forget—pouch your maxill PCD!
The maxill PCD Instructions for Use clearly state that it must be treated like the instruments within the sterilizer’s load. That means wrapping it or placing it in a sterilization pouch, just like your actual instruments. This step introduces an additional challenge, ensuring the PCD not only simulates the internal geometry of a lumened instrument but also faces the same external packaging barrier, delivering the most realistic and rigorous sterilization test possible.
Aligned with the Future of Infection Control
The maxill PCD isn’t just built for now, it’s designed with the future in mind. Its structure aligns with the Helix-type test protocols already recognized in parts of Europe and under review in North America. This positions the maxill PCD as a forward-compatible tool that anticipates changes in IPAC regulations.
No Tracking, No Hassle, Unlimited Use
Sterilization monitoring should streamline your workflow, not create extra tasks. That’s why the maxill PCD is built for unlimited use. Manufactured from lightweight, durable aluminum, this device retains consistent performance without replacement after a set number of uses or period of time. The maxill PCD is a one-time purchase, with replaceable caps available if needed, delivering excellent value without compromising on performance.
Built for the Demands of Sterilization in Dentistry
Generic PCDs are often designed with broad applications in mind. The maxill PCD was purpose-built for dentistry, simulating the specific sterilization conditions faced in dental offices. Whether you're validating for handpieces, air polishing units, or other lumened tools, this device delivers a challenge that reflects your actual clinical conditions. The maxill PCD isn’t just ready, it’s built to lead!
Michelle Aubé (Simmonds) RDH, maxill Dental Hygiene Educator
Michelle is a Dental Hygiene Speaker, Consultant and Educator with over 30 years of experience as a RDH and 4 years as a CDA. She is a professor and curriculum writer at Fanshawe College in both the dental hygiene and continuing education program sharing her knowledge in IPAC, professional practice, periodontal classification, social justice, advocacy and clinical applications. She is maxill's CE and IPAC Director and wears various IPAC hats including auditing federal correctional facilities dental clinics for IPAC standards. Michelle is ODHA's Regional Board Director and authors articles for CDHA's OH Canada professional publication and continues to practice clinically in London ON. She is a CDHO IPAC Remedial Facilitator and IPAC Expert Opinion. Her strong ethics has allowed her to serve on the Discipline Committee at Algonquin College and hold the position of a CDHO Quality Assurance Assessor for 7 years. As a lifelong learner she is completing a BA in Adult Education at Brock University. Her diverse dental background and current status as a practicing RDH offer a fulsome and realistic view of dental-related topics. As a passionate champion for the profession, she advocates for equity, professional autonomy, and systemic change, true grassroots leadership at its finest.
Michelle can be reached at [email protected]
