Investigation of the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Aerosol After Dental Treatment

• Published in: International dental journal Vol. 72; no. 2; pp. 211 - 215
• Main Authors: Akin, Hakan, Karabay, Oguz, Toptan, Hande, Furuncuoglu, Halit, Kaya, Gurkan, Akin, Emine Gulsah, Koroglu, Mehmet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.04.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aerosol; Covid-19; PCR test; Scaling; Scientific Research Report; Suction; Suction; Scaling; Covid-19; PCR test; Aerosol
• ISSN: 0020-6539; 1875-595X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.identj.2021.05.002

The objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol and COVID-19 contamination distance asssociated with ultrasonic scaling and tooth preparation. Twenty-four patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. Removal of supragingival plaque with ultrasonic instruments for 10 minutes and high-speed air-turbine using for the simulation of cutting the maxillary right canine tooth with a round diamond bur for 5 minutes were performed. Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: In group A, medium-volume suction was used during treatment. In group B, high-volume suction with an aerosol cannula was added to medium-volume suction. Prior to treatment, 5 glass petri dishes containing viral transport medium were placed in the operating room. After treatment, petri dishes were immediately delivered to a microbiology laboratory for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. RT-PCR test results were negative for all specimens in group B. However, 5 positive test results for COVID-19 were detected in group A specimens. Suction with an aerosol cannula is very important to prevent COVID-19 viral contamination via aerosol. In addition, a high-volume suction capacity (air volume) of 150 mm Hg or 325 L/min is sufficient for elimination of viral contamination. Thus, high-volume suction should be used during dental treatments in COVID-19 patients.