BLOOD CONTAMINATION OF THE AEROSOLS PRODUCED BY IN-VIVO USE OF ULTRASONIC SCALERS

DISEASE TRANSMISSION AND BARRIER TECHNIQUES during dental treatment ha ve been areas of recent concern in dentistry. Ultrasonic scalers are k nown to produce aerosols, and these aerosols are often produced from a reas of significant disease activity, including bleeding. This study w as performed to determine if these aerosols contain blood from the gin gival sulcus. Forty areas consisting of two contiguous periodontally i nvolved teeth (probing depth of at least 5 mm on one site of each toot h) were scaled subgingivally with an ultrasonic scaler for 30 seconds. A high volume evacuator (HVE) tip was positioned 3 to 5 cm away from the operating site and utilized to capture the aerosols produced. The water remaining in and on the HVE tube was tested for occult blood by the guiac resin method. Gingival index, mean probing depth, presence o f bleeding with scaling, and presence of visible blood in the HVE tip were recorded. All 40 test sites showed a positive result for blood in the captured aerosols despite the wide variation in the measured para meters. It may be concluded that subgingival scaling on periodontally involved teeth with ultrasonic scalers would be expected to produce ae rosols containing blood.