The 2 main types of masks that provide protection against COVID 19 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are N95/KN95 masks and 3 Ply Surgical masks.
3 Ply Surgical Comparison |
Type I |
Type IR |
Type II |
Type IIR |
Should I Wear This Mask? |
||||
Fluid Resistance |
0 mmHg |
>120 mmHgGHHhH |
0 mmHg |
0 mmHgGHHhH |
Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) |
>95% |
>95% |
>98% |
>98% |
HealthHealth.co.uk Masks |
We Do Not Advise Using These As They Are Not Fluid Resistant |
>120mmHg / 97% / EU Standard Classification |
We Do Not Advise Using These |
>120mmHg / 99% / EU Standard Classification |
Type I and Type II masks are not fluid-resistant and hence are not ideal for use during the ongoing pandemic. Fluid resistance is the ability of a mask to catch the respiratory droplets discharge. The WHO recommends fluid-resistant medical masks be worn by over 60s and those who have underlying health problems, as well as those who are in contact with these groups.
Which masks should I be wary of?
A surgical 3 Ply mask that does not fit into the above two categories cannot be classified as medical. Although they may provide some protection, they will not be fluid resistant and have not been tested by the relevant standards to qualify them as either type IR or Type IIR, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry
Valve masks provide no protection for anyone but the user of the mask, they do not prevent respiratory droplets being emitted by the user, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry.
Reusable cloth masks lose their integrity with every wash, a study by the WHO shows them as significantly less effective than medical masks, and are hence not appropriate for use in the dental industry.
We provide all the aforementioned masks via our website: www.healthhealth.co.uk . Our focus is on high quality at wholesale prices. Our masks have been supplied to the UK Department of Health, the NHS, Care Homes, Dentists, to name but a few. Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any bulk enquiries.
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