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Protecting nurses and dentists during treatment (COVID-19 related)

T

TooManyFillings

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Joined
Apr 15, 2008
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I wasn't sure where to post this, I hope it's okay to post in this section of the forum:

As anything but emergency fillings and the like have had to be stopped due to COVID-19 (or carried out in special centres) have any dentists considered a similar approach to the following:


Such an incredibly simple design, very easy and cheap to manufacture (I could probably knock one up myself!) - add a suitable suction pump and filtration unit and dentists can get back to treating patients on a more regular basis.

Thoughts anyone?
 
Hi TooManyFilling,

I haven’t tried this concept but I am very skeptic about it. Tow reasons: it can limit the hand movement and maneuvering. Secondly and more importantly: the drops (and aerosol) will stick to the cover and impair the vision.
 
I would add that I can't imagine anyone conscious willing to put their head into a box for a duration of a treatment. Hardly on a limit even for people who cope with a treatment fine in my opinion.
 
I'm sure many patients would prefer to endure a plastic box around their heads for a relatively short period of time other than the alternative of an extremely painful tooth for a matter of weeks or months.
 
So I actually work in a hospital and I am in and out of ICU. When I first saw the picture, I assumed it was likely for intubations (placing a tube in a patient’s airway so that they can be hooked up to a ventilator) and after reading the article it confirmed that this is how it is being implemented. It makes sense for intubations because they are brief (a minute or two) and meant to be done while standing behind the patient who is lying flat while the patient is sedated/unconscious. I don‘t see how this would be feasible in a dental setting both from a dexterity/positioning standpoint in order for the dentist and assistant to both have access to the patient’s mouth and from a patient comfort standpoint. Honestly, I think a dentist/assistant wearing an N-95, eye covering/goggles, and full face shield, and possibly a disposable gown is going to do more than this piece of plexi-glass but that’s just my 2 cents.
 
I appear to have got the wrong impression from this - I thought it was just a plastic box put around the patient's head while they underwent dental treatment, so containing any spray. My apologies, I'm apparently an idiot.

Even so, it does raise an interesting question as to the possibility of putting a transparent plastic box or sheet around the patient's head to contain any spray while the patient is being treated.
 
@TooManyFillings Nobody thinks that you are an idiot...everyone is learning new things about this virus everyday and some of the information is rapidly changing! It’s an interesting concept. The problem is once you have that spray of air/water and suction in the mouth, the virus becomes “aerosolized” which means that the precautions change from being droplet to airborne (so the risk of catching it goes way up).
 
But at least the droplets are more contained and can perhaps be sucked out with a suitable filtration and suction unit?
 
Possibly...for that to work you’d have to completely close in their head somehow (while still being able to breathe) as the particles are very tiny and can stay suspended in air as well as drift with airflow...Patient on airborne precautions in a hospital environment are placed in negative air pressure rooms (meaning the Air going into their room is not shared with the rest of the facility) because the shared air condition/heating ventilation system can actually transmit the virus to everybody else.
 
But at least the droplets are more contained and can perhaps be sucked out with a suitable filtration and suction unit?
I think this invention gives a definitive solution for the aerosols issue but is not practical from the dentists’ point of view.
 
Looking at their website, looks like they propose the box for transport (ER to ICU for example) and for extubating, which is a cough-inducing procedure, as well as intubation.
 
I would be okay having a box around my head at the dentist, and give me the maximum protection as well, as protecting the dentist I see, her dental nurse, and the team who work at the pratice.

The dentists offices can't be closed forever, people will end up pulling their own teeth (and maybe the wrong ones) and causing more damage to their mouths
 
I just saw an article saying that in a France they are testing these bags (warning: visible dental instruments and dentist working on patient).
 
I truly hope dentists don't really take to this. Just a big no for me. I think I would ditch dental work
 

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