Journal of Research and Advancement in Dentistry
Official publication of Magadh University and Kolhan University, Government of Bihar and Jharkhand, India
Official publication of Magadh University and Kolhan University, Government of Bihar and Jharkhand, India
Year : 2019
Volume : Volume 10
Issue : Issue 4
Address for correspondence :
Dr. Saurav Kumar.
dr.sauravmishra29@gmail.com
Background: The pandemic outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had a large impact on the frontline of health care workers, and among those, on dentists and orthodontists. Orthodontic practices are not to be left aside. An aerosol is defined as a suspension system of solid or liquid particles in a gas. Aim of the study: To study minimizing the aerosol-generating procedures in orthodontics in the era of a pandemic. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics of the Dental institution. The ethical clearance for the study was approved from the ethical committee of the hospital. For the study, a total of 20 patients who were ready for the debonding volunteered for the experimental group (debonding; DB). All subjects had been treated with full-banded edgewise nonextraction treatment with bands on their molars and brackets on the rest of the teeth. The patients were randomly grouped into two groups, Group A and Group B. The patients in Group A received treatment with usual aerosol generating instruments and in group B, patients received treatment with hand instruments which do not require aerosol generating instruments. The orthodontist and his assistant wore sterilized surgical gloves, masks, and face shields during all of the study procedures. Results: There were 10 patients in each group. The mean age of patients in Group A was 13.69 years and in Group B was 14.58 years. It was observed that mean CFU number in Group A was 63.98 and in Group B was 22.68. The results on comparison were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that procedures which involve usage of handpieces and other instruments producing aerosols poses much higher risk of infection from patient as compared to procedures in which handpieces are not required. Thus, in the era of pandemic, the usage of aerosol generating handpieces should be minimized.
Keywords: Aerosols, bonding, orthodontic treatment, pandemic.
