An aerosol is a mixture of extremely fine particles of solids and liquids in the air around you. In the general sense we associate it with deo sprays, air freshener sprays and so on. But in the dentist’s office this aero-solution holds special significance as it also includes fungi, bacteria and virus from the mouth and nasal areas along with water, fine dust from burs and so on.
Dental aerosol is formed during various dental procedures performed with the help of high speed dental instruments like scalers, dental handpiece, three way syringes and so on. As these particles are smaller than 50 micrometers, they continue to circulate in the air for some time before they settle down on some surface. During this suspension period they can also be inhaled by people present in the room. The chances of infection transmission are greater from tiny particles that are about 0.5 to 10 μm in size as they can enter the lung passages.
In the present circumstances where Covid-19 has wreaked havoc all over the world, controlling the circulation of these dental aerosols acquires immense importance. The virus becomes airborne during dental procedures and remains in circulation in closed rooms for several hours. This poses a risk of infection for all those present in the treatment area and even for other patients who visit the clinic later.
Keeping this in mind installation of an efficient air purification system is the need of the hour. A high efficiency particulate air purifier filters aerosol particles at a success rate of more than 99%, thereby reducing the chances of infection transmission. Though the virus itself is a very fine particle it is still captured by the filters as it is trapped in larger droplets.
However, it takes at least some time for the all the air to be circulated and cleaned by the filter. For this it is proposed to limit the number of visitors and to space out treatment sessions. This time gap will give the purification system enough time to filter out dental aerosols circulating in the treatment area.
Another factor to keep in mind is that large particles and droplets do not remain airborne for long and tend to settle on surfaces at a greater speed than smaller particles. Therefore they may not go through the air purification system and instead land on surfaces. As the Covid 19 virus can stay active on inanimate surfaces for several hours it can lead to infection through inanimate objects. This means that the air purifiers installed should work at high speed so that even the larger particles and droplets are filtered out. As a further precaution regular sanitization of surfaces within the treatment area is yet another way to prevent fomite transmission.
A system that minimizes infection spread has been evolved to protect all patients and the staff. Dental services in the post Covid 19 scenario can still be safe and efficient with the use of air purifiers, sanitization and proper protective measures.
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