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Comparative Study
. 2012 Nov;143(11):1199-204.
doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.2012.0064.

Evaluation of the spatter-reduction effectiveness of two dry-field isolation techniques

William O Dahlke  1 , Michael R Cottam, Matthew C Herring, Joshua M Leavitt, Marcia M Ditmyer, Richard S Walker
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Evaluation of the spatter-reduction effectiveness of two dry-field isolation techniques

William O Dahlke et al. J Am Dent Assoc. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The authors conducted a study to compare the effectiveness of two dry-field isolation techniques with that of a control technique (no isolation) in reducing spatter from a dental operative site.

Methods: The authors designed a benchtop experiment to evaluate spatter patterns after performing simulated occlusal surface preparations on three typodont teeth in a dental manikin. Fluorescein dye served as the marker to enable visualization of the spatter distribution. The authors compared the effectiveness of a nonisolated control consisting of high-volume evacuation (HVE) alone with that of two dry-field isolation techniques: a dental dam with HVE and the Isolite system (Isolite Systems, Santa Barbara, Calif).

Results: The authors performed a two-way analysis of variance. Both the Isolite device and the dental dam with HVE exhibited a significant decrease in the number of contaminated squares (P < .001) compared with that for the nonisolated control. In addition, overall, the results showed no statistically significant difference between the Isolite system and the dental dam with HVE (P = .126).

Conclusions: The study results showed that use of a dental dam with HVE or the Isolite system significantly reduced spatter overall compared with use of HVE alone.

Clinical implications: Isolation with a dental dam and HVE or with the Isolite system appears to aid in the reduction of spatter during operative dental procedures, potentially reducing exposure to oral pathogens.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the experimental design setup.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Placement of the Isolite system (Isolite Systems, Santa Barbara, Calif.) in the mouth, showing close adaptation to the oral soft tissues. Image of the Isolite system reproduced with permission of Isolite Systems, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Experimental setup for the dental dam with a high-volume evacuator. Note the proximity of the high-volume evacuator to the buccal surface of the tooth.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Fluorescent spatter with overlay grid. The image is from one of the control trials for tooth no. 18.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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