Wednesday, April 21, 2021
A little more than a year ago, dental offices across the country were forced to shut their doors, only seeing emergency patients as the world tried to navigate through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, practices are open and safely seeing patients again, armed with a lot more information about the virus and access to products designed to keep their practices safe.
A number of products, from aerosol reduction devices to air purifiers to teledentistry platforms, have been introduced or updated over the last year to help protect against COVID-19 spread in dental practices. Here’s another look at 12 of those products and why you might want to consider investing in them if you haven’t already.
Air Purifiers and Disinfection Devices
Many dental practices invested in air purifiers and updated their disinfection protocols to reduce the likelihood of spreading COVID-19. Here are a few air purifier options as well as a disinfection device that can give you peace of mind:
1. EnviroKlenz® Source Capture System. This air purifier comes with a hose that’s designed to remove 99.9% of viruses, including COVID-19, and bacteria near a patient’s mouth. The suction hose directly captures airborne pathogens and droplets that escape from a patient’s mouth during dental procedures.
The device has three filtration methods: the patented EnviroKlenz Air Cartridge, HEPA filter and UVC bulbs. With the adjustable hose, users can manipulate the Source Capture System to draw air from the source point. Adjusting the hose toward the patients’ mouth adds another layer of safety. The system also can be used as a complete air purifier.
2. Deactivate Handheld Disinfection Device. From Xenex Disinfection Services Inc., Deactivate quickly disinfects surfaces in confined spaces that are difficult to clean—including dental exam rooms.
High-powered LEDs create ultraviolet (UV) light to deactivate pathogens, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, destroying it on surfaces in 30 seconds. And there’s no need to wait after disinfecting; the area is immediately ready for use.
3. Radic8 Air Purifier Systems. Henry Schein now distributes the U.K. based company’s systems to dental practices in the U.S. and Canada. While the Radic8 air purifier has not been tested against SARS-CoV-2, it has been tested against harder to kill viruses, such as the adenovirus. The systems show a 99.9999%, 6 log reduction kill rate in a single air pass. Radic8 offers three options to meet the needs of practices of various sizes. The systems include the Radic8 Viruskiller 401 (VK 401), the Radic8 Viruskiller 103 and the Radic8 Hextio.
Aerosol Reduction
Aerosols generated during dental procedures became a big concern during the pandemic, and many manufacturers have come up with solutions designed specifically to reduce their spread or have added features to products that do the same. They include:
4. AiroPur Dental Aerosol Suction Cup. This disposable device from Ho Dental controls aerosols during dental procedures like ultrasonic scaling and coronal polishing. The suction cup can be inserted onto the end of High-Volume Evacuation (HVE) hoses. The patient holds the top of the device even with his or her lower lip while the HVE is in use, pulling aerosols from the mouth and the air surrounding the patient’s face.
5. FX2 Aerosol Control Solution. The ceiling-mounted extraction arm is designed to reduce the risk of aerosol exposure in dental practices. From Nederman and distributed to dental practices by Benco, the versatile extraction arm is flexible and easy to maneuver and position. The arm can be located near patients to effectively capture aerosols at the source. The arm, combined with the MFS HEPA filter and fan arrangements, provides an easy way to control aerosols generated by routine dental procedures.
6. DOVE AERO Aerosol Management Device. This single-use hybrid device is designed to reduce the risk of airborne aerosol movement by combining HVE suction with one-way backflow protection using a secured saliva ejector (SE). The combination offers external aerosol collection, backflow protection, and HVE power while providing patients with the comfort of a saliva ejector. Another benefit? The patented external aerosol chamber manages airborne particles of up to 95 percent when combined with internal fluid evacuation.
7. The Maxima Pro 2AR Handpiece. This new handpiece from Henry Schein has both aerosol reduction and anti-retraction features to lower the risk of bacterial spread. It reduces the emission of airborne particles by an average of more than 90% compared to typical highspeed air handpieces, helping to protect dental professionals and patients from COVID-19.
Teledentistry Platforms
Teledentistry surged in popularity in the early days of the pandemic, with existing solutions adding more features, partnerships forming and new players entering the market. Here’s a look at the platforms:
8. Enhanced TeleDent MouthWatch Teledentistry Solution. At the beginning of the pandemic, MouthWatch added enhanced features to its already popular TeleDent solution.
Those features include a patient portal that allows dentists to communicate directly with patients without them coming to the office; personalized virtual consultations that use secure live video and allow for more in-depth screenings; provider messaging that makes it easy to work remotely to screen patients before scheduling an office visit; cloud collaboration to reduce intra-office travel; and teledentistry-powered cameras that enable team members to send diagnostic images and patient data to remote care providers.
MouthWatch also partnered with Carestream Dental to give greater access to dentists who use Carestream Dental’s digital imaging and practice management solutions.
9. Emergency Dental Virtual Assistant. This turnkey chatbot from Awrel uses artificial intelligence to empower remote triage and dental emergency management. Described as a first of its kind solution, the chatbot gives patients 24/7 access to screening and question-answering tools that allow practices to determine next steps.
10. PracticeMojo Patient Communication Platform. This tried and true platform from ProSites now has added features to streamline communication and allow dentists to care for patients virtually, an option patients continue to ask for.
11. Philips and Toothpic Teledentistry Platform. The multi-service platform, powered by Toothpic, was designed to complement Philips Sonicare’s existing teledentistry solutions. It builds direct patient engagement, acquisition and retention while improving office efficiency, in-chair time and remote care.
Miscellaneous
12. i700 Intraoral Scanner. The recently released scanner from MEDIT is equipped with a UV-C LED—giving it self-disinfecting capabilities. It’s the only device on the market with such capabilities, according to the company, which enhances hygiene and safety in dental practices during a time when doing so has become even more of a focus.
The Developments Continue
This is just a snapshot of the products that can help keep dental professionals and their patients safe from COVID-19. Invest in the products that work best for your practice and be sure to tell your patients about the steps you’re taking to protect them while they’re in your office. They’ll appreciate your efforts, helping ease their anxieties while also winning you their trust and their loyalty.