Air Purifiers in Dentist Offices for COVID-19 Protection

Apr 7
02:00

2022

Nancy Whitman

Nancy Whitman

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If you think about it, there's really no way social distancing can work in a dentist's office when it comes to reducing the spread of COVID-19. This is because the office is set to receive steady traffic from patients who are either coming for professional consultancy or other dental procedures. Air purifiers are one way to help with this issue. These purifiers can help protect patients, dentists, and dental workers from contracting the virus.

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If you think about it,Air Purifiers in Dentist Offices for COVID-19 Protection Articles there's really no way social distancing can work in a dentist's office when it comes to reducing the spread of COVID-19. This is because the office is set to receive steady traffic from patients who are either coming for professional consultancy or other dental procedures. Air purifiers are one way to help with this issue. These purifiers can help protect patients, dentists, and dental workers from contracting the virus. This article will discuss the top essential things you should know about air purifiers and how they can help reduce the spread of Covid-19 in dentist offices. 

A dentist's office is a high-risk area for the spread of this virus. This also goes for mutant strains or variants of the virus. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on dental practices, it is recommended that dental workers screen their patients and always make use of their face masks. COVID-19 Protection in a dentist's office also includes the use of air purifiers or filters. Here are some of the ways air purifiers can help to reduce the spread of the virus in a dentist's office. 

Air purifiers as a means to filter viral particles in dentist offices.

During surgery, a check-up, or a dental operation at adental clinic, patients have to take off their masks. There's really no way to avoid this. What can be done to reduce spread is through an air purifier.

A lot of research has been done on the distance of the spread of viruses. There's usually a lot of viral particles around the patient than in the air. Since the area around the patient is most likely to be contaminated with the virus, the most effective method to reduce viral particles should capture the atmosphere around the patient. The use of air purifiers with the High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter(HEPA filter) effectively filters out viruses, even the variants of the COVID-19.

HEPA filters and air purifiers are suitable for use in a dentist's office.

Now that it is established that air filters can reduce the risk of transmission of the virus, the next step is to carry out modifications to the air filter for convenience and to be able to suit the needs of a dentist's office. Air purifiers are not designed to be directly pointed at someone. However, attaching a pipe or tube with a funnel to it can solve this problem.

This modification acts as a filter for microorganisms as the tube directly sucks away air close to the patient's head. Through the HEPA filter, viral particles are captured.

The use of masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in dentist offices

Although the patient might not wear a mask, the dental practitioner and dental workers should always wear a surgical face mask or face coverings. Masks are effective against viruses as they can help to filter out viral particles. Wearing a mask throughout the day, combined with the use of HEPA filters, is highly effective.

Conclusion 

In summary, to protect the dentist's office and curtail the spread of COVID-19 and mutant strains, two things can be done. One of them is the use of air filters, which is super effective (about 99%) in removing viral particles from the air. Masks should also be worn at all times by the medical personnel and the patients. If it's required for the patients to take off their masks, modified air filters with a suction funnel should be used. This article has discussed the top essential things you should know about air purifiers and how they can help curb the spread of Covid 19 in dentists' offices.