scholarly journals Aerosol Management in Dentistry: An Update for Safe Covid-19 Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kaur Ishdeep ◽  
◽  
Kaur Arshdeep ◽  

Patient safety and health worker safety from infectious diseases as well as occupational hazards is of utmost importance in every field of medicine. Bioaerosols and splatters generated by air syringes, ultrasonic scalers and high-speed turbine handpieces during dental treatment pose a potential hazard of infection not only to the patients but, to the dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants as well as other healthcare workers. Severe infectious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), influenza, measles, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV AIDS can be transmitted through aerosols. With the emergence of β-coronavirus (COVID-19), questions concerning the protection from such viral transmission in dental hospital setting have arisen due to close contact and its transmission through the exposure of saliva, blood and other body fluids. Guidelines from regulatory organizations such as CDC regarding infection control in healthcare settings and infection prevention practices should be strictly followed.A systematic electronic search with relevant key terms viz. Aerosol Management, Dental Aerosols, Dentistry and COVID-19, Dental Unit Waterlines, Preprocedural Mouth rinsing, High Volume Suction Evacuators (HVE) and CDC Guidelines was executed in PubMed and Medline databases for literature extraction and data has been interpreted by including articles based on predefined inclusion criteria .In this review article, we address the importance of understanding and implementation of dental safety by following various systems for management of dental aerosols

Author(s):  
Daniel Bates ◽  
Andrew Bates

Objectives: This study was undertaken to assess the amount of dental aerosol created in a primary care dental surgery. Methods: Two particle meters were placed a set distances round a volunteer patient whilst undergoing simulated dental treatment using a high speed dental handpiece, and 3-in-1 air/water syringe, moisture control was managed with high volume suction and a saliva ejector. Measurement were taken every thirty seconds with the surgery environment set a neutral ventilation and with the windows open plus fan assistance. Results: From the cessation of aerosol generation it took between 6 and 19 minutes for the surgery to return to baseline. The ventilated surgery had faster aerosol dispersal, returning to background levels within 5 minutes. Conclusion: It is concluded for the surgery under investigation the dental aerosol had dissipated after 30 minutes using HVS and optimal surgery.


Author(s):  
Onah Otor Paul ◽  
Siyaka Abdulateef

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a growing global healthcare challenge and efforts to contain it are being outpaced by rapid emergence of resistant microbes. Common environmental pathogens have been reported to be manifesting resistance to several antibiotics to which they were once sensitive. In hospital setting, close contact between patients and caregivers allow resistant strains to easily spread in hospital wards. Evidence of antibiotic resistance is needed to inform rational selection of drugs for infectious diseases. Aim: The aims of this study were to determine common pathogenic bacterial isolates among patients and their antibiotic sensitivity profiles. Methods: This was a cross sectional retrospective study using laboratory records of antibiotic resistance profiles of bacterial isolates obtained from patient medical samples. Antibiogram records for one year period were obtained and relevant data extracted for analysis Results and Discussion: The most commonly isolated bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae which together accounted for over two thirds of all isolates. Most of the isolates were resistant to at least four antibiotics; Penicillins, Sulphonamides and Tetracyclines exhibited the highest level of resistance. Resistance to these antibiotics is well reported in literature and their empirical prescription threatens their efficacy in the management of infectious diseases. Conclusion: Antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria was high, there is need to emphasize evidence based prescriptions to not only improve clinical outcomes but also to preserve the efficacy of current antibiotic stock.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246543
Author(s):  
Fruzsina Kun-Szabó ◽  
Dorottya Gheorghita ◽  
Tibor Ajtai ◽  
Szabolcs Hodovány ◽  
Zoltán Bozóki ◽  
...  

Dental turbines and scalers, used every day in dental operatories, feature built-in water spray that generates considerable amounts of water aerosol. The problem is that it is not exactly known how much. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, several aerosol safety recommendations have been issued—based on little empirical evidence, as almost no data are available on the exact aerosol concentrations generated during dental treatment. Similarly, little is known about the differences in the efficacy of different commercially available aerosol control systems to reduce in-treatment aerosol load. In this in vitro study, we used spectrometry to explore these questions. The time-dependent effect of conventional airing on aerosol concentrations was also studied. Everyday patient treatment situations were modeled. The test setups were defined by the applied instrument and its spray direction (high-speed turbine with direct/indirect airspray or ultrasonic scaler with indirect airspray) and the applied aerosol control system (the conventional high-volume evacuator or a lately introduced aerosol exhaustor). Two parameters were analyzed: total number concentration in the entire measurement range of the spectrometer and total number concentration within the 60 to 384 nm range. The results suggest that instrument type and spray direction significantly influence the resulting aerosol concentrations. Aerosol generation by the ultrasonic scaler is easily controlled. As for the high-speed turbine, the efficiency of control might depend on how exactly the instrument is used during a treatment. The results suggest that scenarios where the airspray is frequently directed toward the air of the operatory are the most difficult to control. The tested control systems did not differ in their efficiency, but the study could not provide conclusive results in this respect. With conventional airing through windows with a standard fan, a safety airing period of at least 15 minutes between treatments is recommended.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5109
Author(s):  
Jacek Matys ◽  
Kinga Grzech-Leśniak

Standard dental procedures, when using a water coolant and rotary instruments, generate aerosols with a significantly higher number of various dangerous pathogens (viruses, bacteria, and fungi). Reducing the amount of aerosols to a minimum is mandatory, especially during the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19. The study aimed to evaluate the amount of aerosol generated during standard dental procedures such as caries removal (using dental bur on a high and low-speed handpiece and Er:YAG laser), ultrasonic scaling, and tooth polishing (using silicon rubber on low-speed handpiece) combined with various suction systems. The airborne aerosols containing particles in a range of 0.3–10.0 μm were measured using the PC200 laser particle counter (Trotec GmbH, Schwerin, Germany) at three following sites, manikin, operator, and assistant mouth, respectively. The following suction systems were used to remove aerosols: saliva ejector, high volume evacuator, saliva ejector with extraoral vacuum, high volume evacuator with extraoral vacuum, Zirc® evacuator (Mr.Thirsty One-Step®), and two customized high volume evacuators (white and black). The study results showed that caries removal with a high-speed handpiece and saliva ejector generates the highest amount of spray particles at each measured site. The aerosol measurement at the manikin mouth showed the highest particle amount during caries removal with the low and high-speed handpiece. The results for the new high volume evacuator (black) and the Zirc® evacuator showed the lowest increase in aerosol level during caries removal with a high-speed handpiece. The Er:YAG laser used for caries removal produced the lowest aerosol amount at the manikin mouth level compared to conventional dental handpieces. Furthermore, ultrasonic scaling caused a minimal aerosol rise in terms of the caries removal with bur. The Er:YAG laser and the new wider high volume evacuators improved significantly suction efficiency during dental treatment. The use of new suction systems and the Er:YAG laser allows for the improvement of biological safety in the dental office, which is especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Robson de Lima GOMES ◽  
Marlus da Silva PEDROSA ◽  
Claudio Heliomar Vicente da SILVA

ABSTRACT Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), numerous restrictive measures have been adopted by governments of different countries. The return to elective dental care in Brazil is a reality even during the COVID-19 pandemic. During restorative dental procedures, the dental professional requires close contact with the patient, being exposed to contaminated saliva and fluids. In addition, transmission of COVID-19 by the generation of aerosol produced by dental handipieces may be possible. Thus, the dental staff must know how to act during restorative dental procedures, putting into practice the correct clinical protocols to avoid cross-contamination and COVID-19 spread. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the biosafety practices especially in the context of restorative dental procedures in times of COVID-19.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4143
Author(s):  
Youzheng Cui ◽  
Shenrou Gao ◽  
Fengjuan Wang ◽  
Qingming Hu ◽  
Cheng Xu ◽  
...  

Compared with other materials, high-volume fraction aluminum-based silicon carbide composites (hereinafter referred to as SiCp/Al) have many advantages, including high strength, small change in the expansion coefficient due to temperature, high wear resistance, high corrosion resistance, high fatigue resistance, low density, good dimensional stability, and thermal conductivity. SiCp/Al composites have been widely used in aerospace, ordnance, transportation service, precision instruments, and in many other fields. In this study, the ABAQUS/explicit large-scale finite element analysis platform was used to simulate the milling process of SiCp/Al composites. By changing the parameters of the tool angle, milling depth, and milling speed, the influence of these parameters on the cutting force, cutting temperature, cutting stress, and cutting chips was studied. Optimization of the parameters was based on the above change rules to obtain the best processing combination of parameters. Then, the causes of surface machining defects, such as deep pits, shallow pits, and bulges, were simulated and discussed. Finally, the best cutting parameters obtained through simulation analysis was the tool rake angle γ0 = 5°, tool clearance angle α0 = 5°, corner radius r = 0.4 mm, milling depth ap = 50 mm, and milling speed vc= 300 m/min. The optimal combination of milling parameters provides a theoretical basis for subsequent cutting.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. le Polain de Waroux ◽  
S. Cohuet ◽  
D. Ndazima ◽  
A. J. Kucharski ◽  
A. Juan-Giner ◽  
...  

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