High-volume Suction Research Articles

In Vivo Bonding of Orthodontic Brackets to Fluorosed Enamel using an Adhesion Promotor

To determine the success of bracket retention using an adhesion promoter with and without the additional microabrasion of enamel. Fifty-two teeth with severe dental fluorosis were bonded in vivo using a split-mouth design where the enamel surfaces of 26 teeth were microabraded with 50 microm of aluminum silicate for 5 seconds under rubber dam and high volume suction. Thirty-seven percent phosphoric acid was then applied to the enamel, washed and dried, and followed by placement of Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus Bonding Adhesive. Finally, precoated 3M Unitek Victory brackets were placed and light cured. The remaining teeth were bonded using the same protocol but without microabrasion. After 9 months of intraoral service, only one bond failure occurred in the control group where microabrasion was used. Chi-square analysis revealed P = .31, indicating no statistical significance between the two groups. Bonding orthodontic attachments to fluorosed enamel using an adhesion promoter is a viable clinical procedure that does not require the additional micro-mechanical abrasion step.

Bacterial contamination of dental chair units in a modern dental hospital caused by leakage from suction system hoses containing extensive biofilm

Within six months of opening of the new Dublin Dental Hospital in September 1998, areas of corrosion were observed on many of the baseplates of the hospital's 103 dental chair units (DCUs) at the site of attachment of the suction hoses. The corroded areas were heavily contaminated with Pseudomonas spp. and related genera posing a risk of cross-infection, particularly for immunocompromised patients. These species were used as marker organisms to investigate the source of the contamination. P. aeruginosa was the predominant species recovered from 41 selected DCU baseplates (61% prevalence), whereas P. putida (46% prevalence) and P. aeruginosa (43% prevalence) were predominant at the attachment ends of 37 selected high-volume suction hoses. Forty-one selected isolates of P. aeruginosa from 13 DCU baseplates, 16 high-volume suction hoses and 12 coarse filter housings (another suction system site) from 19 separate DCUs were serotyped to determine the similarity of isolates at each site. The majority of isolates (68.3%) belonged to serotype O:10, while the remainder belonged to serotypes O:6 (7.3%), O:11 (7.3%), O:14 (9.8%) and O:5/O:16 (7.3%). Of the isolates from DCU baseplates, additional isolates with the same serotype were recovered from other suction system sites in 10/13 (77%) cases. Isolates of only one serotype were recovered from each of the 19 DCUs investigated. Forty-one serotyped isolates were also subject to computer-assisted analysis of SpeI-generated DNA fingerprint profiles, and similarity coefficient (S(AB)s) values were calculated for each pairwise combination of isolate profiles. The data obtained showed that the isolates consisted of two distinct main populations, each containing separate clades corresponding to specific serotypes. Serotype O:6 (three isolates), O:11 (three isolates) and O:5/O:16 (three isolates) belonged to a single strain in each case. Serotypes O:14 (four isolates) and O:10 (28 isolates) belonged to two strains in each case. The two serotype O:10 strains, termed fingerprint groups I (four isolates from three DCUs) and II (24 isolates from 10 DCUs), were the most distantly related of all the strains identified. These findings demonstrated that the hospital DCUs had become colonized with a small number of P. aeruginosa strains, one of which (serotype O:10, fingerprint group II) predominated. These results also confirmed that DCU baseplate contamination was most likely to be due to leakage from suction system hoses at the baseplate attachment sites, probably due to loosening during use. Replacement hose connectors that firmly retained the suction hoses in the attachment sites so that they could not be loosened by movement of the suction hoses solved this problem, and eliminated further contamination of the DCU baseplates.

A simplified method of rubber dam placement

3. 4. 5. Stretch the rubber dam loosely over the frame. Punch only two holes in the dam approximately 2 cm apart. Make a straight scissors cut between the holes. Place a winged clamp on the posterior tooth. Stretch the dam over the clamp and carry the dam anteriorly over the canine or from the first premolar to the first premolar to isolate the anterior segment. Advantages of this simplified placement method are as follows: 1. Rapid and easy placement can be done by an assistant. 2. Removal is simplified should anesthetic reinjection become necessary, should a medical emergency require immediate clearing of the airway, or for the end of the appointment. 3. There are no interproximal rubber septa to become entangled in the bur or diamond instrument. 4. The rubber is less likely to tear when stretched over the clamp. 5. Moisture is easily controlled by standard high-volume suction even though the dam is not sealed around the neck of each tooth.

Sump tube drainage as a source of bacterial contamination

Contamination of in vitro wound models drained by sump tube suction has been demonstrated. Contamination occurred even when a commercially available filter was placed over the air intake of the sump tube when high volume suction was utilized. High volume suction should be avoided during sump tube drainage.

The respirability of aerosols produced in dentistry

The respirable fractions of aerosols produced in dentistry were studied using an aerosol spectrometer and a particle size analyser. Aerosols produced in dental laboratory procedures had a very small respirable fraction but those produced in clinical procedures, such as the cutting of enamel and dentine, had a large respirable fraction which could constitute a health hazard to the dentist. The water spray used with high-speed cutting also showed a high respirable fraction. Effective high-volume suction apparatus should be used to control these risks.

A suction apparatus for use during open cardiotomy.

There are certain trying moments during open-heart surgery. At these times a highvolume suction apparatus is necessary to remove large volumes of blood from the operative field and to provide a means for accurate measurement of this loss so that correct transfusion replacement may be instituted promptly. The suction pumps of the modern pump-oxygenator should be supplemented by such a unit to remove blood generally from the thoracotomy wound. Conventional operating-room suction is not ideal for this purpose: The suction container is usually placed beneath the operating table or on the floor, where it is not easily observed by personnel in charge of blood replacement; the suction bottles are usually large and wide, so that it is impossible to measure the volume of aspirated loss accurately, and autotransfusion of the aspirated blood is difficult. With these objections in mind, we have developed a compact suction unit which is siliconized and