Dispersion of Aerosols Generated during Dental Therapy

Yusuke Takanabe, Yutaka Maruoka, Junko Kondo, Shotaro Yagi, Daichi Chikazu, Ryuta Okamoto and Masao Saitoh
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Yusuke Takanabe: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
Yutaka Maruoka: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
Junko Kondo: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
Shotaro Yagi: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
Daichi Chikazu: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Ryuta Okamoto: Shin Nippon Air Technologies Co., Ltd., Solutions Division, Hamacho Central Building 8F, 2-31-11 Nihonbashihamacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0007, Japan
Masao Saitoh: Center for Medical Education and Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: The novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an urgent need to study the risk of infection from aerosols generated during dental care and to conduct a review of infection controls. However, existing studies on aerosol particles related to dental treatment have mainly evaluated only the scattering range. Few studies have been conducted on the specifics of the generation of aerosol particles in clinical settings, their mechanisms and patterns of distribution throughout open or enclosed spaces, the duration that they remain suspended in air, and the amount and size of particles present. To minimize the influence of background particles, laser lights, a high-sensitivity camera, and particle counters were used in a large super clean laboratory to investigate the dynamics of aerosols generated during the operation of dental micromotors. The results indicate that aerosols tend to scatter upward immediately after generation and then gradually disperse into the surroundings. Most of the particles are less than 5 µm in size (only a few are larger), and all particles are widely distributed over the long term. Our research clearly elucidates that aerosols produced in dental care are distributed over a wide area and remain suspended for a considerable time in dental clinics before settling.

Keywords: COVID-19; aerosol particles; dental care; aerosol dynamics; micro engine; super clean laboratory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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