Efficacy of chlorhexidine/herbal formulation for microbial reduction in aerosol generated following ultrasonic scaling - A double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Effect of herbal mouthrinsein dental ultrasonic scalers among Indians

The use of herbal mouthrinse is gaining momentum in recent years. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the effect of 2 herbal mouthrinse (curcumin, cinnamon) in comparison with2 conventional mouthrinse (povidone iodine, chlorhexidine) when used as coolant in dental ultrasonic scalers. Hence, 200 participants were included in this study. Analysis of gingival index, periodontal index at baseline and one month follow up was completed. The inhibitory effects of both conventional and herbal mouth rinse in gingival health are similar. However, cinnamon and curcumin owing to its minimal adverse effects and low cost is useful as an alternative to chlorhexidine for reducing bacterial load in dental aerosols produced due to ultrasonic scalers.

Effectiveness of interventions to reduce aerosol generation in dental environments: A systematic review

Certain dental procedures produce high levels of aerosols containing pathogenic microorganisms, posing a risk for the transmission of infections in dental settings. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of various aerosol mitigation interventions during clinical dental procedures in real-world environments. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase for English studies up to March 2023 according to the PRISMA guidelines. Only peer-reviewed controlled clinical trials (CCT) or randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies involving human subjects were included. The risk of bias of selected researches were evaluated by two independent authors using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The literature search yielded 3491 articles, of which 42 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Most studies evaluated bacterial contamination in bio-aerosols, while the viral and fungal contamination was assessed in only three studies. Overall, various approaches have been applied in reducing aerosol contamination in clinical scenarios, including high-volume evacuators (HVE), mouse rinses and rubber dams, air cleaning systems, and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. The available evidence suggests that various aerosol mitigation strategies could be implemented to decrease the risk of cross-infection during clinical dental procedures in real-world environments. However, further clinical trials are necessary to establish statistical validity in measuring aerosol contamination and mitigation, as well as to evaluate the risk of infection transmission for viral and fungal contamination.