Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39612250›Full record

Observational studyInternational journal of dental hygiene2025

Aerosols Contamination in the Dental Practice Following Everyday Procedures: An Observational Study.

Magda Mensi, Marcel Donnet, Silvia Marchetti, Luca Mantelli, Eleonora Scotti, Annamaria Sordillo, Stefano Calza, Niklaus P Lang

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in International journal of dental hygiene, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Magda MensiSchool of Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Marcel DonnetEMS Electro Medical Systems SA, Dental Research Group, Nyon, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6970-6103
Silvia MarchettiSchool of Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Luca MantelliSchool of Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Eleonora ScottiSchool of Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Annamaria SordilloSchool of Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Stefano CalzaDepartment of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Niklaus P LangSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe purpose of the present observational study was to evaluate the bacterial load in the air following various dental procedures.

methodsAir contamination following seven aerosol-generating dental procedures was assessed. The air volume was sampled by a wet cyclone collector for 10 min during 10 sessions of the following procedures: air-polishing, ultrasonic instrumentation, manual instrumentation, rubber cup polishing, cavity preparation with a 1:5 red contra-angle, cavity preparation with turbine and Low Volume Evacuator (LVE), and cavity preparation with turbine and High Volume Evacuator (HVE). Contamination of the sampled solution was determined using ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) quantification of the viable bacterial count, and compared to baseline measurements.

resultsThe baseline air contamination was 1.45 (0.85-2.04) CFUs/L of air. The highest increase in air contamination was observed after the use of a turbine with LVE, with an average of 7.38 (95% CI 3.87-10.89) CFUs/L of air (p < 0.01). The use of the turbine with HVE and the use of the red hand-piece resulted in non-significant increases in bacterial counts compared to baseline (2.98 [1.34-4.63] and 2.70 [0.18-4.22] CFUs/L of air respectively). The application of air polishing, ultrasonic instrumentation, hand instrumentation and rubber cups did not result in a higher bacterial count than the baseline.

conclusionRoutine professional oral hygiene procedures do not increase air contamination. However, cavity excavation with LVE creates a significantly higher bacterial count in the air.

Indexed as

Air MicrobiologyAerosolsBacterial LoadColony Count, MicrobialDental Cavity PreparationEquipment ContaminationHumansAerosolsaerosolsbacteriaenvironmenthandmicrobial qualityplaquepublic healthsonicultrasonicwater

Identifiers

PMID39612250
PMCPMC12371307

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.