Research from UIC College of Dentistry and College of Engineering Highlighted in the Journal of Dental Research
Research from UIC College of Dentistry and College of Engineering Highlighted in the Journal of Dental Research Heading link
The University of Illinois College of Dentistry (COD) and College of Engineering published an article in the Journal of Dental Research’s (JDR) October 2021 issue, outlining aerosol’s role in dentistry. UIC COD’s Dr. Lyndon Cooper, Associate Dean for Research and Head of the Department of Oral Biology, and Dr. Susan Rowan, Executive Associate Dean, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, were part of the research team and documented their findings in “Effect of H2O2 Antiseptic on Dispersal of Cavitation-Induced Microdroplets.”
Focusing on COVID-19 and the current global health crisis, the article delves into the difficulties of suppressing viral diseases that are transmitted through airborne droplets. Although the emission of respiratory particles via the mouth and nose by humans is not new, interest in the types of activities that create droplets and aerosols is rising. The risk of cross infection between dental patients and practitioners is likely to be high, and a procedure like the ultrasonic dental cleaning method increases the risk of pathogen transmission due to the aerosol spray that is generated.. Because there is a lack of studies surrounding efforts to reduce spray generation during dental procedures, the research team examined how the inclusion of an oxidative agent, H2O2, to the ultrasonic scaler device water supply, reduced the level of aerosols and microdroplets generated.