Abstract
Reuse and Decontamination of N95 Respirators in Dentistry
Highlights
Three months since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Brazil, many health institutions are facing a shortage of N95/FFP2 (FFP - Filtering Facepiece) or similar respirators
Reusing the same respirator without decontamination after leaving it for a period of time fails to take account of the lack of scientific evidence on the survival time of SARS-CoV-2 in respirators, nor does it take into account potential contamination by other pathogens, such as the influenza A virus (H1N1) = (influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1)), which can persist in respirators for up to six days.[9]
*N95 respirators - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). **To date, Brazil has not passed any regulations on the use of methods for the decontamination of respirators
Summary
Three months since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Brazil, many health institutions are facing a shortage of N95/FFP2 (FFP - Filtering Facepiece) or similar respirators. One of the main concerns about reuse without decontamination is the possibility of contact transmission when the user touches the outside of the respirator.[2,3,4] Risks associated with reuse could be reduced by placing protective barriers over the respirator, cleaning hands before and after handling the respirator, wearing gloves when adjusting the reused respirator, and leaving it for five days before reuse.[2,3,6,7] This five-day wait is based on studies of the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces.[8]
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