Graft Handling Techniques to Boost Your Results

Clean handling beats fancy materials. This video gives you a closed-contact workflow to cut bioburden, minimise contamination, and improve graft outcomes.
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You’ll learn:

Where contamination comes from: air, saliva, hands, and re-capping

A fast vial→lidded dish→site transfer pathway

Hydration and cover rules that lower CFUs

No-finger, no-gauze handling and dedicated instruments

When to decontaminate vs when to discard (and why)

Chapters
00:30 What you’ll learn
00:45 Sources of contamination
02:30 Room and tray setup that lowers CFUs
04:00 Closed-chain transfer: step-by-step
06:30 Special cases: autogenous scrapings, PRF mixes
08:30 Decontaminate or discard?
10:00 One-page recap
11:00 What’s next

Quick protocol:

Keep grafts wet and covered at all times

One path only: vial → lidded sterile dish → site

Zero glove/gauze contact; use carriers and pluggers only

Limit air time to seconds; cap everything not in use

If in doubt, discard and document

Who this is for:
Implant dentists, periodontists, oral surgeons, and trainees aiming for cleaner grafts, fewer complications, and reproducible results.

Kit checklist:

Sterile lidded dish with saline

Bone carrier or syringe loader

Dedicated packers/pluggers (no crossover use)

High-volume evacuation; minimal room traffic

Optional: PRF for handling, not sterilisation

FAQ:

Does PRF sterilise a contaminated graft? No. It improves handling but does not “clean” a dirty graft.

Is brief CHX or povidone-iodine rescue acceptable? Possible in select scenarios, but cytotoxicity trade-offs exist. When unsure, discard.

References:
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Kheiri A, et al. Sterility and bioactivity after uncapping/recapping of allograft and xenograft vials. J Dent Res Dent Clin Dent Prospects. 2023.
Nisyrios T, et al. Bacterial adhesion on block bone grafts. Materials (Basel). 2020.
Takamoto M, et al. Risk of bacterial contamination of bone-harvesting devices. Head Face Med. 2013.
Manzano-Moreno FJ, et al. Contamination levels of autogenous bone by different harvest methods. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2015.
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Anonymous. UV-C air filtration reduces airborne particles and tray contamination. Cureus. 2022.
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Bölükbaşı N, et al. Platelet-rich fibrin with biphasic calcium phosphate for regeneration. Implant Dent. 2013.
Feng M, et al. PRF mixed with deproteinized bovine bone mineral: handling and biological properties. Bioact Mater. 2022.