Abstract
ObjectivesDental treatments are inherently associated with the appearance of potentially infective aerosols, blood and saliva splashes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the quantitative contamination of protective eyewear during different dental treatments and the efficacy of the subsequent disinfection.Materials and methodsFifty-three standardized protective eyewear shields worn by students, dentists and dental assistants during different aerosol-producing dental treatment modalities (supragingival cleaning, subgingival periodontal instrumentation, trepanation and root canal treatment and carious cavity preparation; within all treatments, dental evacuation systems were used) were analysed, using common forensic techniques. For detection of blood contamination, luminol solution was applied onto the surface of safety shields. A special forensic test paper was used to visualize saliva contamination. Further analysis was conducted after standardized disinfection using the same techniques. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.ResultsMacroscopically detectable contamination was found on 60.4% of protective eyewear surfaces. A contamination with blood (median 330 pixels, equivalent to 0.3% of the total surface) was detected on all shields after dental treatment. Between various dental treatments, the contamination with blood tend to be statistically significant (p = 0.054). Highest amount of blood was observed after professional tooth cleaning (median 1,087 pixels). Significant differences of saliva contamination were detected between the different measurements (p < 0.001) with contamination only after dental treatment. Due to the low variance and right-skewed distribution for saliva contamination, no statistical analysis between different treatments could be performed. After disinfection, 0.02% blood contamination and no saliva contamination were detected.ConclusionsDisinfection is effective against blood and saliva contamination. Macroscopically, clean protective eyewear contains up to 12% surface contamination with blood. Based on the results, it may be concluded that protective eyewear is essential for each dental practitioner.Clinical relevanceAs standard for infection prevention in the dental practice, disinfection of protective eyewear after each patient is necessary.
Highlights
ObjectivesDental treatments are inherently associated with the appearance of potentially infective aerosols, blood and saliva splashes
Macroscopic invisible contamination of blood and saliva can be found on protective eyewear after dental treatment
Based on the present results, it can be concluded that protective eyewear is nearly free of blood after disinfection
Summary
Dental treatments are inherently associated with the appearance of potentially infective aerosols, blood and saliva splashes. Clean protective eyewear contains up to 12% surface contamination with blood. Possible transfer of infection can occur via direct contact with blood, saliva and tissue or through indirect contact via contaminated instruments and surfaces or via aerosol, containing. Some studies analysed the contamination of facemasks worn by dentists [1, 8, 10, 16, 18, 19] The pattern of contamination is variable, influenced by use of high-speed instruments, the position of the treated tooth, the position of the operator and the number of microorganisms in the oral cavity [1, 9, 16, 18]. Other pathogens, which may be a potential infection risk for the dental personnel, are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, adenovirus and SARS-CoV2
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
