[EP-19] Using air curtain to reduce particle dissemination from dental handpiece
[Abstract]
[Objectives]
Dental handpieces generate a significant quantity of aerosols and droplets during dental procedures, leading to potential adverse health effects with prolonged occupational exposure. Therefore, the present study is aimed to integrating an air curtain with dental handpieces to effectively control aerosols and droplets.
[Methods]
The sealing efficiency of different air curtain parameters was assessed. First, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was employed to measure the air curtain's velocity profile and conditions on the central plane. Subsequently, the air curtain was integrated with a dental handpiece. PIV was employed to capture the variation of droplets, followed using MATLAB program code for analysis and evaluation of the sealing efficiency. The final phase utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate and validate the efficiencies of the air curtains.
[Results and Discussion]
The results showed that the optimal air curtain parameter is a 1mm straight air curtain with a flow rate of 100 LPM. Regarding sealing efficiency, the air curtain demonstrated the capability to seal droplets at ~78.52%, which is statistically higher than the other groups (P<0.01). This study contributes valuable insights into the impact of air curtain device parameters on sealing efficiency, providing references for future design and applications. Numerical simulations have confirmed the air curtain device's effectiveness in isolating contaminants, thereby reducing exposure for dental personnel, and minimizing negative health effects.
[Objectives]
Dental handpieces generate a significant quantity of aerosols and droplets during dental procedures, leading to potential adverse health effects with prolonged occupational exposure. Therefore, the present study is aimed to integrating an air curtain with dental handpieces to effectively control aerosols and droplets.
[Methods]
The sealing efficiency of different air curtain parameters was assessed. First, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was employed to measure the air curtain's velocity profile and conditions on the central plane. Subsequently, the air curtain was integrated with a dental handpiece. PIV was employed to capture the variation of droplets, followed using MATLAB program code for analysis and evaluation of the sealing efficiency. The final phase utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate and validate the efficiencies of the air curtains.
[Results and Discussion]
The results showed that the optimal air curtain parameter is a 1mm straight air curtain with a flow rate of 100 LPM. Regarding sealing efficiency, the air curtain demonstrated the capability to seal droplets at ~78.52%, which is statistically higher than the other groups (P<0.01). This study contributes valuable insights into the impact of air curtain device parameters on sealing efficiency, providing references for future design and applications. Numerical simulations have confirmed the air curtain device's effectiveness in isolating contaminants, thereby reducing exposure for dental personnel, and minimizing negative health effects.