Bacterial Contamination of Forehead Skin and Surgical Mask in Aerosol-producing Dental Treatment

Overview

Journal J Oral Microbiol

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2021 Sep 27

PMID 34567438

Citations 8

Authors

Madline P Gund

Gabor Boros

Matthias Hannig

Sigrid Thieme-Ruffing

Barbara Gartner

Tilman R Rohrer

Arne Simon

Stefan Rupf

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Bacterial contamination of dental professionals' facial skin and protective equipment from treatment-related aerosols and droplets are poorly studied.

Methods: This prospective study analyzed samples from 67 consecutive aerosol-producing dental treatments. Sterile nylon swabs served to collect samples from dental professionals' foreheads before and after exposure. Contact samples were obtained from used surgical masks. Samples were incubated on agar under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Bacteria were classified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We determined the frequencies of obligate and facultative oral bacteria and scored bacterial growth (0: none; 1: < 100 colonies; 2: >100 colonies; 3: dense).

Results: Bacteria were detected in 95% of skin-swab and 76% of mask samples. Median bacterial scores were 2 for forehead samples before and after treatment, and 1 for masks. Obligate and facultative oral bacteria were more frequent (6% and 30%) in samples from exposed forehead skin, which also showed increased bacterial scores (28%). 5% of samples contained methicillin-sensitive ; 3% contained obligate anaerobes.

Conclusion: Exposed forehead skin was significantly less contaminated with obligate oral bacteria than expected based on surgical mask findings. Exposed forehead skin showed increased contamination attributable to aerosol-producing procedures. The forehead's physiological skin microbiota may offer some protection against bacterial contamination.

Citing Articles

The bacterial burden of worn face masks-observational research and literature review.

Kisielinski K, Wojtasik B, Zalewska A, Livermore D, Jurczak-Kurek A Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1460981.

PMID: 39691656 PMC: 11649673. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1460981.

Detection of viable oral bacteria of the patient on the surgical mask of dentists.

Gund M, Naim J, Lang J, Hannig M, Gartner B, Halfmann A BDJ Open. 2024; 10(1):4.

PMID: 38228600 PMC: 10791691. DOI: 10.1038/s41405-023-00182-4.

High-volume evacuation mitigates viral aerosol spread in dental procedures.

Malmgren R, Valimaa H, Oksanen L, Sanmark E, Nikuri P, Heikkila P Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):18984.

PMID: 37923796 PMC: 10624893. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46430-3.

Bacterial contamination potential of personal protective equipment itself in dental aerosol-producing treatments.

Gund M, Naim J, Rupf S, Gartner B, Hannig M Odontology. 2023; 112(2):309-316.

PMID: 37702832 PMC: 10925564. DOI: 10.1007/s10266-023-00848-3.

Particle generation and dispersion from high-speed dental drilling.

Kumar M, He R, Feng L, Olin P, Chew H, Jardine P Clin Oral Investig. 2023; 27(9):5439-5448.

PMID: 37479870 DOI: 10.1007/s00784-023-05163-3.

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