Abstract
Infection prevention in dental practice plays a major role, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to measure the quantity of aerosol released during various dental procedures (caries and prosthetic treatment, debonding of orthodontic brackets, root canal irrigation) while employing the Er:YAG lasers combined with a high-volume evacuator, HVE or salivary ejector, SE. The mandibular second premolar was extracted due to standard orthodontic therapy and placed in a dental manikin, to simulate typical treatment conditions. The particle counter was used to measure the aerosol particles (0.3–10.0 μm) at three different sites: dental manikin and operator’s and assistant’s mouth area. The study results showed that caries’ treatment and dental crown removal with a high-speed handpiece and the use of the SE generated the highest aerosol quantity at each measured site. All three tested Er:YAG lasers significantly reduced the number of aerosol particles during caries’ treatment and ceramic crown debonding compared the conventional handpieces, p < 0.05. Furthermore, the Er:YAG lasers generated less aerosol during orthodontic bracket debonding and root canal irrigation in contrast to the initial aerosol quantity measured in the dental office. The use of the Er:YAG lasers during dental treatments significantly generates less aerosol in the dental office setting, which reduces the risk of transmission of viruses or bacteria.
Highlights
Dental workers are exposed to the risk of viral airborne infection [1,2]
With the COVID-19 wave running through the world, all medical professionals are at the highest risk of infection by the SARS-CoV-2, which causes sickness ranging from symptoms like the common cold to severe respiratory diseases because of the direct contact of the virus with the eyes, nose, and oral cavity through their mucous membranes as the main infection route [3]
This work aimed to test a null hypothesis that there is no difference in the number of aerosols generated by three various Er:YAG lasers compared to conventional highand low-speed handpiece for tooth preparation
Summary
Dental workers are exposed to the risk of viral airborne infection [1,2]. With the COVID-19 wave running through the world, all medical professionals are at the highest risk of infection by the SARS-CoV-2, which causes sickness ranging from symptoms like the common cold to severe respiratory diseases because of the direct contact of the virus with the eyes, nose, and oral cavity through their mucous membranes as the main infection route [3]. A common feature of dental professional activity is working in the environment where human bioaerosols mix with water sprays, the particles of which increase their velocity and scatter in the office [4,5,6,7]. The second source that can spread the infection in the office are rotary instruments such as high- and low-speed handpieces, dental sandblaster, ultrasonic scalers, or lasers [3,8]. Dental procedures with the highest splatter and aerosol generation are associated with conservative treatment, tooth prosthetic preparation, and ultrasonic scaling [12]. The water sprays produced by dental rotary instruments, ultrasonic tools, and lasers constitute the second group. The last group contains a mixture of water sprays with respiratory aerosols that have a high velocity and can be spread quickly in the office. These particles can be transported when they are inhaled to terminal bronchioles and alveoli of the human lungs [4]
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