During the COVID-19 pandemic, health risks associated with exposure to hazardous aerosols during routine dental procedures and the potential transmission of infectious diseases became even more of a concern. Considering the potential for patients infected with COVID-19 to transmit the virus while asymptomatic, it should be assumed that all patients can transmit disease. As the most important layer of the total protection strategy, the effectiveness of Nederman’s enhanced disease protection system was evaluated in collaboration with the leading dental university in Istanbul, Turkey - Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry, established in 1952.

Challenges

Aerosol generating processes (AGPs) during dental procedures create high concentrations of aerosols containing particulates of various sizes. This particulate matter carry contaminants, viruses, saliva, blood etc. Due to the nature of how dental procedures are conducted, dentists work closely with patients are frequently exposed to potentially dangerous aerosols and media frequently. If this media is not collected from where it is generated, it will spread and travel with ambient air onto equipment and surfaces, potentially infecting dental healthcare staff, patients and more. There was no available study on a real dental setting evaluating effectiveness of the Nederman Aerosol Control System, especially during the pandemic period.

Solution

With the collaboration of Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry, a study was done with four different operation types and six cases using Nederman FX2 Extraction Arm, Combi-Hood and N-Series Fan in order to evaluate the system effectiveness by comparing aerosol concentrations of cases with and without aerosol control system use. The main objective of the tests are to see if the system is able to decrease aerosol concentration close to ideal levels avoiding aerosols to spread throughout the room and into the patient’s and staff’s breathing zone.

Without aerosol control		With aerosol control

Result

It was observed that without any aerosol control system, aerosol concentrations increased dramatically during AGP’s. Also, after the Nederman aerosol control system turned on, the aerosol concentration decreased close to the ideal reference levels. If the complete test data is examined together, it can be concluded that the red shaded area of high aerosol concentrations can be removed successfully by aerosol suction before into a controlled environment.

In addition, the observed amounts of aerosols accumulating onto the dentists’ glasses, masks and protective equipment decreased substantially and created a comfortable working environment.

The test results shows a substantial reduction in aerosol exposure to the dentist. The charts below illustrate this reduction by showing the aerosol concentration and particle size without the Nederman aerosol control solution in red and with the aerosol control solution in blue.

Aerosol particles present without aerosol control		Aerosol particles present with aerosol control

In light of this data, the contribution of the Nederman aerosol control system to the protection of dental healthcare professionals and the environment from the risks of harmful aerosols is clear.

The university issued a statement recommending Nederman’s solution for aerosol reduction in dental settings for aerosol generating procedures.

Thank you to Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey, for collaborating on this study.

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