Microbial Air Contamination in a Dental Setting Environment and Ultrasonic Scaling in Periodontally Healthy Subjects: An Observational Study

Giovanni Boccia, Federica Di Spirito, Francesco D’Ambrosio, Francesco De Caro, Domenico Pecora, Riccardo Giorgio, Luigi Fortino, Walter Longanella, Gianluigi Franci, Biagio Santella () and Massimo Amato ()
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Giovanni Boccia: Dai Dipartimento Di Igiene Sanitaria e Medicina Valutativa U.O.C. Igiene Ospedaliera, A.O.U. San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona Largo Città di Ippocrate, 84131 Salerno, Italy
Federica Di Spirito: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Francesco D’Ambrosio: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Francesco De Caro: Dai Dipartimento Di Igiene Sanitaria e Medicina Valutativa U.O.C. Igiene Ospedaliera, A.O.U. San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona Largo Città di Ippocrate, 84131 Salerno, Italy
Domenico Pecora: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Riccardo Giorgio: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Luigi Fortino: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Walter Longanella: A.O.U. San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona, 84131 Salerno, Italy
Gianluigi Franci: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Biagio Santella: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
Massimo Amato: Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: The risk of microbial air contamination in a dental setting, especially during aerosol-generating dental procedures (AGDPs), has long been recognized, becoming even more relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, individual pathogens were rarely studied, and microbial loads were measured heterogeneously, often using low-sensitivity methods. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess microbial air contamination in the dental environment, identify the microorganisms involved, and determine their count by active air sampling at the beginning (T0), during (T1), and at the end (T2) of ultrasonic scaling in systemically and periodontally healthy subjects. Air microbial contamination was detected at T0 in all samples, regardless of whether the sample was collected from patients treated first or later; predominantly Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Bacillus spp. and a minority of fungi, were identified. The number of bacterial colonies at T1 was higher, although the species found were similar to that found during the T0 sampling, whereby Gram-positive bacteria, mainly Streptococcus spp., were identified. Air samples collected at T2 showed a decrease in bacterial load compared to the previous sampling. Further research should investigate the levels and patterns of the microbial contamination of air, people, and the environment in dental settings via ultrasonic scaling and other AGDPs and identify the microorganisms involved to perform the procedure- and patient-related risk assessment and provide appropriate recommendations for aerosol infection control.

Keywords: air contamination; microbial contamination; aerosol; dental setting; dental office; dental procedure; scaling; periodontal treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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