Porous material for insertion cleaning of instruments

A method of cleaning a contaminated dental instrument, comprising:

• providing a housing including spaced wall members that define a socket;
• providing a porous material with a foam body having an interior region and a surface, wherein the body has a density of at least approximately 22 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3) and an air flow through the body is at least 1.0 cubic decimeter per second (dm3/sec), the porous material being configured for placement in the socket of the housing;
• inserting a contaminated dental instrument through the surface and into the interior region, whereby the porous material substantially grips the dental instrument;
• and
• removing the dental instrument from the porous material, whereby bioburdens are removed from the dental instrument after insertion of the dental instrument into the porous material.

A method of cleaning an endodontic file comprising:

• providing an at least partially open-cell foam body having an interior region and a surface, in a socket member configured for use in an endodontic procedure,
• inserting a dental instrument through the surface and into the interior region of the foam body, whereby the foam substantially grips the file,
• autoclaving the dental instrument along with the foam body, the foam body having a density and cell count selected to permit sterilization of the file through the cell body structure,
• withdrawing the file from the foam body, using the file in an endodontic procedure, and accumulating bioburdens on the file,
• reinserting the file partially covered with bioburdens, through the surface and into the interior region, whereby the foam substantially grips the file, and
• removing the file from the foam, wherein the density and cell count of the foam body provide retention of at least 80% of the bioburdens in the foam body separate from the file in a single removing step.