Methods to mitigate infection spread from aerosol‐generating dental procedures

Abstract

Infection control measures play a critical role in preventing the spread of disease in healthcare settings. Concerns that SARS‐CoV‐2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019, may be transmitted through droplets and aerosols from both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals has turned the spotlight on healthcare interventions that involve aerosol generation in the oral cavity, such as many dental and periodontal procedures. This commentary seeks to familiarize the dental practitioner with various infection control methods that may be implemented to mitigate spread of infection in dental settings through aerosol‐generating dental procedures

Virus transmission by ultrasonic scaler and its prevention by antiviral agent: An in vitro study

“…It has been demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 might be transmitted indirectly via contaminated surfaces as the virus can survive on surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic for up to a couple of days. 25,41 To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dental procedure virus transmission study, performed with viable infective virus evaluation. The strength of proposed experimental setup is the possibility for evaluation of the other dental spray generating dental devices, such as air-water syringes, high-speed handpieces, and lasers.…”

“…Besides direct infection by droplets, the proposed approach might also effectively prevent indirect transmission by contaminated surfaces or reduce viral load. It has been demonstrated that SARS‐CoV‐2 might be transmitted indirectly via contaminated surfaces as the virus can survive on surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic for up to a couple of days 25,41 …”

“…24 Thus, there is a high need for effective prevention measures against virus transmission in dentistry. 25 Although a simple replacement of cooling liquid with a virucidal agent might potentially reduce viral spread, this possibility was only recently evaluated by 0.5% hydrogen peroxide cooling spray used in air-turbine, demonstrating reduction of viral RNA below detection threshold on all tested sites. 10 Besides hydrogen peroxide, several agents were already found to be effective against coronaviruses in as short as 30 seconds of suspension test.…”

“…So far, antiseptic mouth rinses containing cetylpyridinium chloride or povidone‐iodine have shown the highest potential to reduce viral load in infected subjects 24 . Thus, there is a high need for effective prevention measures against virus transmission in dentistry 25 …”

Comprehensive Knowledge and Preparedness among Dental Community to Confront COVID-19—A Multicentric Cross-Sectional Study

“…Passarelli et al in 2020 found that, during the emergence of COVID-19 infection, the preventive measures have escalated to higher levels according to the latest recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other global protection agencies [ 6 ]. In addition to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, respirators, and gowns and the use of air cleaning systems, surface decontamination, and airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) are some structural modifications that can be advocated in dental units to minimize aerosol contamination [ 7 ]. The study by Rexhepi I et al in 2021 demonstrated the effectiveness of natural ventilation and standard saliva ejectors by quantitatively evaluating the aerosol being generated during the dental procedures.…”