Study Shows AGP’s Don’t Increase Risk Of Contracting COVID-19
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- Published: Tuesday, 18 May 2021 08:10
- Written by Chris Tapper
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A new study by Ohio State University has given hope that dentistry may soon return to normal.
When the genetic makeup of organisms detected in samples of aerosols were analysed, researchers found that the watery solution from irrigation tools, and not saliva, was the main source of any bacteria or viruses present in the spatter and spurts from patients’ mouths.
This led to lead author Purnima Kumar, professor of periodontology at Ohio State telling the Science Daily website, "Getting your teeth cleaned does not increase your risk for COVID-19 infection any more than drinking a glass of water from the dentist’s office does."
Researchers collecting samples from personnel, equipment and other surfaces reached by aerosols during a range of dental treatments, including scaling and restorative procedures, found saliva did not contribute significantly to microbes found.
Daily Science reported “Even when low levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected in the saliva of asymptomatic patients, the aerosols generated during their procedures showed no signs of the coronavirus. In essence, from a microbial standpoint, the contents of the spray mirrored what was in the (surgery) environment.”
The study, published in the Journal of Dental Research was carried out at the height of the pandemic in early 2020.
A total of 28 patients participated in the study and received dental implants and restorations using high-speed drills or ultrasonic scaling procedures at Ohio State’s College of Dentistry. Researchers collected samples of saliva and irrigants before each procedure. Thirty minutes after the procedure, they took samples of aerosol remnants (condensate) from the face shields of providers, the patient’s bib and an area six feet away from the dental chair.
Using genome sequencing they were able to analyse the microbes present in patient saliva and irrigant before procedures were carried out, and then after, from ‘contaminated’ surfaces.
The researchers found that wherever the condensate had accumulated, irrigants contributed to most of the organisms found (78%).
Only 0.1%-1.2% of the microbes distributed around the surgery came from saliva.
The results were found to be the same whichever procedure was being carried out.
UK dental practices have had to encompass strict cross-infection regimes and fallow times since early 2020 and many are continuing to operate procedures adopted at the opening up of dentistry in the summer. The results may open up the possibility of a relaxation in fallow times and the need for enhanced PPE.
The UK’s strict cross-infection procedures have been widely criticised by dental professionals amid the belief that there was no ‘science’ to justify such stringent guidelines. The results of this study may now bring some relaxation and allow a return to normality to dentistry worldwide.
"These findings should help us open up our practices, make ourselves feel safe about our environment and, for patients, get their oral and dental problems treated” Professor Kumar told Science News.
The full study can be found here.
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