BENEFITS OF DENTAL AEROSOL FUME EXTRACTION
Studies have shown that dental aerosols are considered the greatest threat to infection in dental facilities. Dental procedures that involve usage of dental instruments such as hand pieces can create viruses, bacteria and pathogens from the patient’s teeth, saliva, blood etc. These particulates and fumes can remain airborne in dental clinics and can be hazardous to the health of dentists and their staff if inhaled.
It’s for these reasons that every dental clinic ought to have an efficient fume extraction system set up in order to prevent dental aerosols from being inhaled. So what are dental aerosols really?
What are dental aerosol extraction systems?
Dental aerosols are airborne particulates composed of microorganisms and debris that are released into the air from oral cavities of dental patients. When these particulates are finer than 1 micrometer, people working at the facility and even patients can inhale them. Once inhaled, they can cause irritation of the nose, throat and lungs.
Prolonged exposure to these particulates can result in asthma, coughs and even cancer. To prevent this, an efficient fume extraction system is required. While there are different extractors used in different industries, such as a smt fume extractor, in dental facilities, dental aerosol extraction systems are used. An example of such a system is the FX-FCD Extraoral Aerosol Extractor.
Modern dental air purifiers are portable and use a powerful fan to suck in dental aerosol particulates into the filtration system. The extraction system then releases the air that’s filtered back into the indoor space, hence improving the quality of air inhaled inside a dental clinic.
3 Benefits of dental aerosol fume extraction
1. At-source extraction. Since dentists perform dental procedures close to the patient’s oral cavity, and since wet particulates (which could easily spread) are produced, room wide extraction (which is loud and makes communication hard) is pointless. It’s for these reasons that extracting aerosols at the source is mandatory, hence the need for a portable dental air purifier.
2. Ductless design. Another benefit of dental aerosol extraction is its ductless design. Dental Aerosol extractors create an airflow pattern that recirculates. This means installation of the system is made easy, requiring no make up air production or ductwork.
3. More protection. Most dental aerosol extractors have an added layer of protection against harmful particulates such as bacteria, pathogens and fungi.
