Intraoral suction, air cleaning systems minimize aerosol concentrations after dental procedures

The use of high-volume intraoral suction (HVS[IO]) and an air cleaning system (ACS) may help reduce particle concentration in the room following aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) in dental practice, a recent study has shown.

“Although aerosol-removal interventions such as HVS(IO) alone or in combination with an ACS may rapidly reduce particle concentrations to within background range, they do not eliminate exposure during AGPs and so the use of appropriate respiratory protective equipment by dental practitioners is essential,” the researchers said.

As six AGPs were performed, real-time aerosol measurements were collected from six locations within a typical dental treatment room. All procedures were performed with low-volume suction (LVS) as a baseline.

Almost all (>99.9 percent) of all the particles generated were <0.3 µm in diameter, and in the presence of low-volume suction aerosols were detectable at all locations within the room, remaining so for up to 15 minutes after the procedure.

Use of any intervention—HVS(IO), ACS, or extraoral HVS—markedly reduced particle concentration, number, and spatial distribution, without having any strong impact on size distribution.            

The use of HVS(IO), in particular, either alone or with ACS, resulted in the return to baseline levels of particle concentration by the end of the procedures. The use of extraoral HVS, in comparison, left aerosol levels marginally elevated relative to baseline.

All interventions employed likewise reduced aerosol concentration even when the latter was expressed as dose (mL·cm^–3·min). HVS(IO) alone, on top of LVS reduced the dose by 80 percent. Combining all three interventions cut the median dose by 90 percent.