ArticleInfection control and hospital epidemiology2023
Dental high-speed handpiece and ultrasonic scaler aerosol generation levels and the effect of suction and air supply.
Article in Infection control and hospital epidemiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Distribution characteristics of microbial aerosols and optimization of protective methods during ultrasonic scaling procedure.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of Preprocedural Mouthwashes: A Triple-Blind Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial.International dental journal · 2025Trial
- Mapping the Intersection of One Health and Oral Health: A Citation Analysis of Human, Animal, and Environmental Interconnections.International dental journal · 2026Review
- Article
- Mitigating aerosol contamination: strategies for contamination-free scaling.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2025Review
- Reducing microbial airborne contamination and particulate matter using different oral suctions in dental clinic: A randomized controlled clinical trial.The Saudi dental journal · 2024Article
- Aerosol-generating procedures and associated control/mitigation measures: Position paper from the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association and the American Dental Hygienists' Association.Canadian journal of dental hygiene : CJDH = Journal canadien de l'hygiene dentaire : JCHD · 2024Review
- Dental professionals' use of personal protective equipment during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in China.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Challenges and Opportunities for Dental Education from COVID-19.Dentistry journal · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveExposure to aerosol spray generated by high-speed handpieces (HSHs) and ultrasonic scalers poses a significant health risk to oral health practitioners from airborne pathogens. Aerosol generation varies with different HSH designs, but to date, no study has measured this. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe measured and compared aerosol generation by (1) dental HSHs with 3 different coolant port designs and (2) ultrasonic scalers with no suction, low-volume evacuation (LVE) or high-volume evacuation (HVE). Measurements used a particle counter placed near the operator's face in a single-chair, mechanically ventilated dental surgery. Volume concentrations of aerosol, totaled across a 0.3-25-µm size range, were compared for each test condition.
resultsHSH drilling and scaling produced significantly high aerosol levels (
conclusionsHigh concentrations of dental aerosol found during HSH cavity preparation or ultrasonic scaling present a risk of infection, confirming the advice to use respiratory PPE. HVE and LVE both effectively reduced aerosol generation during scaling, whereas the new aerosol-reducing 'no air' function was highly effective and can be recommended for HSH drilling.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.