Perioral aerosol sequestration suction device effectively reduces biological cross-contamination in dental procedures

Abstract

Background: The infection risk during dental procedures is a common concern for dental professionals which has increased due to coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The development of devices to specifically mitigate cross-contamination by droplet/splatter is crucial to stop infection transmission. This study assesses the effectiveness of a perioral suction device (Oral BioFilter, OBF®) to reduce biological contamination spread during dental procedures. Methods: Forty patients were randomized 1:1 to standard professional dental hygiene treatment with OBF® or not. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminiscence assay was used to evaluate the spread of potential contaminants. The total number of Relative Light Units (RLU) from key dental operatory locations: operator's face-shield, back of the surgical operator's-gloves, patient's safety-goggles, and instrumental table, were measured. Percentage contamination reductions between control and OBF® were compared. Results: For the whole dental environment, the RLUs reduction (<150-units) achieved with OBF® was 98.4% (97.4%-99%). By dental operatory location the reduction in RLUs was from 99.6%, on the operator face-shield, to 83% on instrumental table. The control-group reported a very high percentage of failures, (>300) being 100% on the surfaces closer to the patient's mouth and decreasing to 70% on instrumental table. In contrast, the higher failure percentage in the OBF®-group was found on the patient's googles (40%), while the operator face-shield showed an absence of contamination. Conclusion: OBF® device has shown efficacy to reduce biological droplet/splatter cross-contamination using ATP-bioluminiscence assay during dental procedures. Nevertheless, for maximum safety, its use must be combined with standard protective gear such as goggles, face shield and surgical gloves