Effects of Droplet and Aerosol Reduction Dependent on the Usage of High-volume Intra-oral Suction during Dental Treatment

抄録

The use of high-volume intra-oral suction（HVIOS）is effective in reducing droplets and aerosols during dental treatment. However, there are few reports on the effects of different uses of HVIOS on droplets and aerosols. We examined the differences in the generation of droplets and aerosols with HVIOS. The teeth were scaled and ground. The number of droplets and aerosols associated with different uses of HVIOS was evaluated by settle plate sampling, aerosol particle measurement, and high-speed camera photography. The number of bacterial colonies in front of the dentist was significantly reduced when a HVIOS was placed at the left side of the mouth compared to when it was not used. In tooth grinding, on the dental care workers’ side, the group in which HVIOS was not used had the largest preoperative and postoperative differences for all particle sizes, followed by those placed at the left side of the mouth and placed at the labial side of the maxillary anterior teeth. Photographic images did not show white foglike spreads in front of the dentist and near the dentist’s side compared to other usages. We suggest that HVIOS is effective when it is placed at the left side of the mouth to reduce large particles in front of and near the dentist during tooth scaling and to prevent exposure to dental care workers during cutting of the maxillary anterior tooth.