Abstract：
OBJECTIVE: Ultrasonic scaling is extensively applied as part of the initial therapy for periodontal diseases, which has been restricted since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic due to droplets and aerosols generated by ultrasonic devices. An extraoral scavenging device (EOS) was designed for diminishing droplets and aerosols in dental clinics. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of EOS on eliminating droplets and aerosols during ultrasonic supragingival scaling.
METHODS: This single-blinded, randomised controlled clinical trial enrolled 45 patients with generalised periodontitis (stage I or II, grade A or B) or plaque-induced gingivitis. The patients were randomly allocated and received ultrasonic supragingival scaling under three different intervention measures: only saliva ejector (SE), SE plus EOS and SE plus high-volume evacuation (HVE). The natural sedimentation method was applied to sample droplets and aerosols before or during supragingival scaling. After aerobic culturing, colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted and analysed.
RESULTS: Compared with the level before treatment, more CFUs of samples throughout treatment could be obtained at the operator\'s chest and the patient\'s chest and the table surface when using SE alone (p < 0.05). Compared with the SE group, the SE + EOS group and the SE + HVE group obtained decreasing CFUs at the operator\'s chest and the patient\'s chest (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was determined between these two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The EOS effectively eliminated splatter contamination from ultrasonic supragingival scaling, which was an alternative precaution for nosocomial contamination in dental clinics.
METHODS: This single-blinded, randomised controlled clinical trial enrolled 45 patients with generalised periodontitis (stage I or II, grade A or B) or plaque-induced gingivitis. The patients were randomly allocated and received ultrasonic supragingival scaling under three different intervention measures: only saliva ejector (SE), SE plus EOS and SE plus high-volume evacuation (HVE). The natural sedimentation method was applied to sample droplets and aerosols before or during supragingival scaling. After aerobic culturing, colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted and analysed.
RESULTS: Compared with the level before treatment, more CFUs of samples throughout treatment could be obtained at the operator\'s chest and the patient\'s chest and the table surface when using SE alone (p < 0.05). Compared with the SE group, the SE + EOS group and the SE + HVE group obtained decreasing CFUs at the operator\'s chest and the patient\'s chest (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was determined between these two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The EOS effectively eliminated splatter contamination from ultrasonic supragingival scaling, which was an alternative precaution for nosocomial contamination in dental clinics.
摘要：
目的：作为牙周疾病初始治疗的一部分，超声治疗被广泛应用，自COVID-19大流行爆发以来，由于超声波装置产生的液滴和气溶胶，这种情况一直受到限制。设计了一种口外清除装置（EOS），用于减少牙科诊所中的液滴和气溶胶。这项研究的目的是评估EOS在超声龈上刮除过程中消除液滴和气溶胶的作用。
方法：这种单盲，随机对照临床试验纳入45例广泛性牙周炎患者(I期或II期，A级或B级）或牙菌斑引起的牙龈炎。患者被随机分配，并在三种不同的干预措施下接受超声龈上缩放：仅唾液喷射器（SE），SE+EOS和SE+高容量疏散(HVE)。在牙龈上结垢之前或期间，将自然沉降方法应用于样品液滴和气溶胶。有氧培养后，计数并分析菌落形成单位(CFU)。
结果：与治疗前水平相比，单独使用SE时，在整个治疗过程中，可以在操作者的胸部以及患者的胸部和桌子表面获得更多的CFU样本（p<0.05）。与SE组相比，SE+EOS组和SE+HVE组在操作者胸部和患者胸部的CFU下降（p<0.05），而两组间无显著差异。
结论：EOS有效地消除了超声龈上刮除的飞溅污染，这是牙科诊所医院污染的替代预防措施。
方法：这种单盲，随机对照临床试验纳入45例广泛性牙周炎患者(I期或II期，A级或B级）或牙菌斑引起的牙龈炎。患者被随机分配，并在三种不同的干预措施下接受超声龈上缩放：仅唾液喷射器（SE），SE+EOS和SE+高容量疏散(HVE)。在牙龈上结垢之前或期间，将自然沉降方法应用于样品液滴和气溶胶。有氧培养后，计数并分析菌落形成单位(CFU)。
结果：与治疗前水平相比，单独使用SE时，在整个治疗过程中，可以在操作者的胸部以及患者的胸部和桌子表面获得更多的CFU样本（p<0.05）。与SE组相比，SE+EOS组和SE+HVE组在操作者胸部和患者胸部的CFU下降（p<0.05），而两组间无显著差异。
结论：EOS有效地消除了超声龈上刮除的飞溅污染，这是牙科诊所医院污染的替代预防措施。
