DynamoDental

Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices (NHS England, 2013 edition)

HTM 01-05: decontamination equipment and maintenance

HTM 01-05 is the guidance document that describes how decontamination of reusable dental instruments should be carried out in primary care dental practices in England. It covers the decontamination process, the room it happens in, the equipment used (steam sterilisers, washer-disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners) and the testing, validation and record-keeping that go with that equipment. It also addresses dental unit waterlines.

Jurisdiction
England
Last verified
9 September 2026
Next review
9 March 2027
Version
1

In plain English

HTM 01-05 is the guidance document that describes how decontamination of reusable dental instruments should be carried out in primary care dental practices in England. It covers the decontamination process, the room it happens in, the equipment used (steam sterilisers, washer-disinfectors, ultrasonic cleaners) and the testing, validation and record-keeping that go with that equipment. It also addresses dental unit waterlines.

HTM 01-05 is guidance rather than legislation, but the CQC expects providers to follow it or to justify an equivalent approach, and it is the reference point for what 'properly maintained' means for decontamination equipment.

The equipment it deals with is largely outside Dynamo Dental's scope. It is included here because practices often ask, because it touches the treatment unit through waterlines and compressed air, and because the distinction between servicing and validation that HTM 01-05 relies on matters for every piece of equipment.

Who does what

Your responsibility as the provider

  • Having a decontamination lead and written procedures
  • Ensuring sterilisers and washer-disinfectors are validated on installation, tested at the intervals HTM 01-05 sets (daily, weekly, quarterly and annual tests as applicable), and maintained by a competent person
  • Keeping the logbook for each item, with test results, faults and service records
  • Having a written scheme of examination and periodic examination for steam sterilisers, which are pressure systems under PSSR 2000
  • Managing dental unit waterlines: flushing, treatment and maintenance as the guidance and the chair manufacturer set out
  • Acting when a test fails, including removing the equipment from use

What Dynamo Dental delivers directly

Dynamo Dental does not work on decontamination equipment. Its contribution to HTM 01-05 is at the edges, through the treatment unit and the compressed-air supply. We help practices organise relevant maintenance records and identify next actions within the agreed scope. The practice remains responsible for ensuring its regulatory duties are met.

  • Servicing and repair of the treatment unit's waterline components (independent water bottles, valves, filters and anti-retraction devices) to the manufacturer's instructions, and recording it
  • Maintaining the compressor and its dryer and filters, so the air supplied to the surgery is dry and clean to the manufacturer's specification
  • Installing treatment units with the waterline arrangement the manufacturer and the practice's water policy call for
  • Recording decontamination equipment on the asset register during a Practice Engineering Survey, with the practice's own validation and service dates, so gaps are visible

Verified specialist competence, or a specialist partner

  • Validation, periodic testing and servicing of sterilisers, washer-disinfectors and ultrasonic cleaners: a competent decontamination engineer, usually the manufacturer's service organisation or an independent specialist working to HTM 01-05
  • Written scheme of examination and examination of steam sterilisers: a competent person under PSSR
  • Advice on the design of the decontamination room and workflow: the practice's decontamination lead, with an infection prevention adviser where needed
  • Water-quality testing of dental unit waterlines: a laboratory or water specialist

Outside our scope

  • Validation or testing of any decontamination equipment
  • Servicing sterilisers, washer-disinfectors or ultrasonic cleaners
  • Infection prevention and control audits
  • Certifying decontamination arrangements

Questions

Questions on this topic

Can Dynamo Dental validate our steriliser while servicing the chair?

No. Validation and periodic testing of sterilisers is specialist work under HTM 01-05 and needs a competent decontamination engineer with the right test equipment. We do not offer it and do not present a chair service as covering it. We can record on the asset register when your validation and testing are next due.

Are dental unit waterlines part of HTM 01-05?

Yes. HTM 01-05 includes guidance on managing dental unit waterlines to control biofilm and microbial contamination. The practice sets the routine (flushing, treatment, water source); we maintain the chair's waterline hardware to the manufacturer's instructions and record it.

Other topics

Not sure what records you should have?

The Practice Engineering Survey establishes what exists and what is missing, without claiming to be an audit.

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