Objective:This study experimentally investigated the effect of a portable vacuum on aerosol generation during home-visit dental treatment of older adults.
Method:To simulate Fowlerʼs position, a phantom head was fixed to the dental chair at 45°. Dental treatments, including brushing using a toothbrush, professional mechanical tooth cleaning by contra-angle with or without water flow(PMTCw or PMTC), respectively, and tooth operative care at a 1:5 speed-up contra-angle(×5 SCA), were performed on the dental jaw model of the phantom. To evaluate the aerosol dispersion, the experimental dental treatments were captured using a high-speed camera(170 fps), and the aerosol-occupied area in each image was analyzed using ImageJ. The log10(area %)values obtained from each dental treatment(n=6)were statistically analyzed.
Results:The aerosol amounts observed after all dental treatments were significantly higher than those in the background(no dental treatment), indicating that these treatments generated aerosols. The use of a portable vacuum significantly reduced aerosol amounts in the PMTCw, PMTC, and ×5 SCA, but not in brushing. In the multiple regression analysis of the aerosol amount, all dental procedures in this study had positive coefficients, and the vacuum effect was negative(p<0.001).
Conclusion:Although oral care using a toothbrush was the most common treatment for home-visit dental treatments, the experimental results showed that it was the most difficult method to control aerosol generation. Therefore, to protect dental staff from infective aerosols, proper use of a vacuum, proper use of personal protective equipment(PPE)and proper ventilation should be performed.
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